PERIL IN PINK

Murder threatens the opening weekend at an upstate New York bed and breakfast.

Jess Byrne and her business partner, Kat Miller, have every reason to be optimistic about the future of Pearl, their pink-themed B&B in Fletcher Lake. Ever since they were featured in the New York Times’ list of up-and-coming Hudson Valley hot spots, they’ve been booked solid for the entire season. But disaster strikes quickly. On their second morning, Jess’ sister-in-law finds a body in the lake, threatening the chill vibe that had been building from the inn’s free-flowing rosé and a successful set from guitarist George Havers, a last-minute replacement for Jess’ ex-boyfriend Lars Armstrong. Lars’ now-late manager, Bob Strapp, was so universally despised that Jess can think of nearly a dozen suspects. There are so many characters, in fact, that Leigh sometimes seems to lose track of what they’re up to. Some of them comment on events they’ve never been told about, as when Kat taunts Lars about his financial woes, which he’s revealed only to Jess. Jess decides that her mother’s aid will be pivotal to solving Bob’s murder, then drops Mom for a dozen chapters. Leigh can forget what she’s written earlier in the very same scene. When Jess and Detective James Holloway interview Havers in his room, the musician is “using a towel to shield his lower half.” A page later, he sweeps up his paramour in his arms and carries her to the bed, still in front of Jess and James. What happened to that towel? After interviewing a suspect, Jess sits in her van and confesses herself “now more confused than ever.” She’s not the only one.

Pearl survives its debut, but Leigh needs better expository strategies if she’s planning a follow-up.