A Colorful Scheme

July 18, 2022
At the start of Davis’s lively fourth Pen and Ink mystery (after 2021’s Murder Outside the Lines), coloring book designer Florrie Fox, who lives in the carriage house behind the mansion of wealthy John Maxwell in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C., is alarmed when Mr. DuBois, Maxwell’s butler, bangs on her door. Mr. DuBois is looking for Jacqueline Liebhaber, an internationally known romance author who’s due to wed his master that day. Florrie discovers the bride-to-be, dazed and disoriented, lying behind a nearby garden hedge. Jacqueline recovers quickly and begs Florrie not to call an ambulance or involve the police. The 500-guest wedding goes on as planned, and the reception is a hotbed of enjoyable snarkiness as the authors, book reviewers, and agents in attendance share their views on success and, of course, money. The following morning one of them is found dead, floating in the Maxwell swimming pool. Davis juggles several intriguing mysteries that keep readers eagerly turning pages while, perhaps, munching a strawberry cupcake or sipping on a Lemon Drop Martini, for which recipes are included. Cozy fans will be well satisfied. Agent: Jessica Faust, BookEnds.