DEATH OF A RED-HOT RANCHER

Granger’s debut mystery combines murder with all things amatory.

Lizzie Hale is the owner of Love Under the Covers, a bookstore specializing in romantic fiction of every stripe, though her own love life is meager—the woman is convinced she’s hopeless at forming relationships. Tinker’s Creek, Ohio, is home to a first-class heartbreaker: Brody Pierce, the drop-dead gorgeous owner of a local bison ranch who made a fortune doing commercials before retiring to his hometown, where he’s dated just about every eligible woman. When Lizzie sees Brody visiting her aunt, she’s seriously concerned that Charmaine, who’s slightly older than Brody but still outgoing and attractive, may be falling for him. Then, going to Brody's ranch to return a credit card he left at her store, she finds him dead. The only witness is Violet, the dog she takes home. Lizzie dares not tell Charmaine’s son, Josh, who’s the investigating officer, of her suspicions that Brody and Charmaine may have been an item. Deciding to snoop around herself, she’s spurred on by the entry of attractive baseball player–turned–national park investigator Max Alverez. Using her best friend and aunt as a pipeline into the town gossip mill, she finds that Brody was not universally loved. But which of his enemies was willing to kill?

A cozy combination of mystery and romance featuring an expert on romance novels who needs some practical lessons in love.