THE DIVA HOSTS A MURDERER

A talented hostess entertains a group of friends and relatives. Is one of them a murderer?

Eight people are visiting Sophie Winston’s home in Alexandria, Virginia, over the July Fourth holiday. They include her parents, Paul and Inga Bauer; her sister, Hannah Bauer; Aunt Melly Eberle and her new husband, Gus; Gus’ friend, Stan Cox, who’s staying elsewhere; and two family friends, Roscoe O’Brien and Cyril Chevalier. Walking their dogs, Sophie and her best friend, Nina Reid Norwood, spot Gus sneaking from the yard of neighbor Dollie Peabody, boding ill for Melly’s marriage. Dollie arrives at breakfast time seeking Sophie, who’s solved many murders, to announce she’s found a dead man in her house. Sophie calls her friend, police officer Wong, who thinks Dollie’s imagining things but agrees to check it out. The house is beautiful, but there’s no body. Melly’s already having second thoughts about her hasty marriage even before an 1820s–themed party where Gus picks a fight with her brother, Paul, claiming he’s trying to come between Gus and Melly. The party guests all receive copies of the Declaration of Independence as favors. Back at Dollie’s house, the police have discovered an actual corpse, that of Tony Fontana, who’d been hired by Sophie as a tour guide for her guests. After Sophie’s ex-boyfriend, Detective Wolf Fleishman, arrests Paul when his DNA is found on the body, he’s kicked off the case for being too close to the family, and his replacement doesn’t bother looking for another suspect. Melly kicks Gus out after she learns he’s been stealing from her, but he’s just one of the people Sophie must investigate in order to clear her father’s name.

A convoluted mystery full of useful party tips, yummy recipes, and hidden secrets galore.