Cover Story

Praise for

Read and Buried

“Destined to become a favorite with cozy mystery lovers everywhere. Full of Southern charm, excellent reading suggestions, and an engaging amateur sleuth named Lizzie Turner,
Read and Buried
will have readers clamoring for the next in the series even before they turn to the last page.”

—Miranda James,
New York Times
bestselling author of the Cat in the Stacks Mysteries

“Books, cats, and a tenderhearted sleuth, a perfect combination!”

—Krista Davis, national bestselling
author of the Domestic Diva Mysteries

A Killer Read

“This is a terrific debut! I want to join this book club, eat those cheese sticks, keep an eye on those romances, and wander around Ashton Corners. But most of all, I'd love to have Lizzie Turner as my friend. Especially if another body turns up.”

—Mary Jane Maffini, author of the
Charlotte Adams Mysteries

“Who can't love a debut novel filled with mystery references and a pair of cats named Edam and Brie? And who can't adore dedicated, saucy Lizzie Turner, a literacy teacher with high hopes for her students? Readers should have high hopes for this series. And thanks to the author's fine research, readers just might find a delicious assortment of new authors to browse.”

—Avery Aames, Agatha Award winner and national
bestselling author of the Cheese Shop Mysteries

Berkley Prime Crime titles by
Erika Chase

A KILLER READ

READ AND BURIED

COVER STORY

Cover Story

ERIKA CHASE

THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP

Published by the Penguin Group

Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA

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For more information about the Penguin Group, visit penguin.com.

COVER STORY

A Berkley Prime Crime Book / published by arrangement with the author

Copyright © 2013 by Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

Excerpt from
Book Fair and Foul
by Erika Chase copyright © 2013 by Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author's rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

Berkley Prime Crime Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group.

BERKLEY
^®
PRIME CRIME and the PRIME CRIME logo are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group,

a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,

375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

ISBN: 978-1-101-62335-0

PUBLISHING HISTORY

Berkley Prime Crime mass-market edition / August 2013

Cover illustration by Griesbach / Martucci.

Interior text design by Laura K. Corless.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

Acknowledgments

Many thanks, yet again, to everyone who had a hand, or eye, involved in this third Ashton Corners Book Club Mystery!

I'm truly amazed at how wonderful and talented the team is at Berkley Prime Crime, from my editor, Kate Seaver, and editorial assistant, Katherine Pelz, to the effervescent publicity person Kayleigh Clark, the copyeditor and the awesome artists who've produced yet another purrfect cover!

Closer to home, many thanks to my readers Lee McNeilly (aka my big sister!), Diane Walker (bookseller extraordinaire), and Mary Jane Maffini (longtime cohort, conspirator, and go-to gal). Thanks to my writing group (aka the Ladies Killing Circle), known to all as Joan Boswell, Vicki Cameron, Barbara Fradkin, the aforementioned M. J. Maffini, and Sue Pike. We've had a memorable year, one of many in the twenty-plus years we've been together as a group, and as friends.

It's a pleasure, as always, to be in the company of the wickedly mysterious bloggers at Killer Characters, a source of support and clever ideas. Writing groups are invaluable in the support department also, so thanks to Sisters in Crime, Guppies, Capital Crime Writers, and Crime Writers of Canada.

And, a ginormous thanks to readers. I value the comments I receive and treasure the fact that you enjoy reading this series.

Read, read, read. That's all I can say.

THE SECRET OF THE OLD CLOCK
—CAROLYN KEENE

“T
he thing about friendships,” Molly Mathews stated then paused to take a sip of her iced tea, “is that they're as cozy as an old chenille bathrobe that you crawl into when you're feeling down, or have a bug, or just want to feel good all over.

“Teensy Coldicutt and I were best friends all through our school years,” Molly went on, smiling as her mind made the trip down memory lane.

Lizzie Turner leaned forward in the patio chair to better hear Molly's voice, which had softened with the reminiscing. This was the most relaxed Lizzie had seen her friend in months, and Molly's attempts to contain her excitement were noticeable.

Molly glanced around her spacious backyard gardens before continuing. “She used to wear pedal pushers when all the rest of us had to wear dresses, and her hair in ringlets, Shirley Temple style, which incidentally she hated.”

“I don't think I've heard you mention her before.”

“Probably not.” Molly shook her head, looking regretful. “We'd lost touch over the years even though we were best of friends. That is, until Teensy met John Coldicutt at our senior prom. My, oh my, it was love at first sight . . . for them both. Wouldn't you know she'd go and marry him right after graduation? Her folks were plenty mad but there was nothing they could do about it.”

“What happened then?” Lizzie fanned herself with her napkin. No breeze today and the July Alabama temperature had hit the midnineties. Even her yellow cotton sundress felt too hot. But it was relaxing sitting out on Molly's patio so she wasn't about to complain.

“Well, John wasn't from around here. He was visiting some relatives, I think. He came from Georgia, so that's where they lived after getting married. And then they moved all the way to Tucson. Teensy came back to Ashton Corners to visit a few times but her folks never really forgave her, so finally she stopped coming. And then many years later, she gave up on writing to me.”

Lizzie noticed the brief flash of sadness in Molly's eyes. “You must have been so pleased when you learned that Teensy had moved back here.”

“I was delighted,” Molly agreed, clapping her hands, giving Lizzie a glimpse of the younger girl. “I couldn't believe it when she just showed up here at the front door. And I recognized her immediately. She really hadn't changed much, just gotten a bit older. Well, quite a bit. But then, so have I.” Molly took a long drink of her tea and then chose a cinnamon pecan twirl from the plate on the table.

Lizzie nodded but, as usual, found it hard to think of Molly as being in her seventies. Her hair, though gray, always framed her face with a soft halo and what lines had embedded themselves around her mouth and eyes gave her a look of perpetual laughter, not of haggard age. Her sense of style also made it understandable when others pegged her as at least ten years younger. Lizzie sighed, hoping she'd look that amazing in later years, then helped herself to a second tea cake.

“Why did she move back now?” she asked.

“Her husband died of cancer last year and I guess she just found it too hard to stay on her own in Tucson.” Molly pushed the long sleeves of her filmy blouse up to her elbows now that the sun had shifted away from her. She kept her wide-brimmed white linen hat on, though.

“That's sad but very nice for you.”

“Yes, it is. But I haven't told you the best part. Teensy wrote a book, sort of a historical saga, she calls it, with a mystery element. So I told her the Ashton Corners Mystery Readers and Cheese Straws Society would be delighted to include it on our fall reading list. It will be my choice for September.”

“I think that's great. We could have her as a guest at that meeting, too. It always adds another layer to the book, meeting the author and getting her take on it all.”

“I'm glad you agree, Lizzie.” Molly finished her tea and suddenly looked serious. “But I've gone a step further, and I'm hoping you'll be on line for this, also.” She gazed straight at Lizzie, her face unreadable.

Lizzie waited to hear more. Molly seemed to be enjoying ramping up the suspense.

“Well, Teensy was devastated to hear that the Book Bin closed and we don't have a bookstore in town any longer. But I assured her I'd help her market her book. She didn't go the traditional route of publishing, you know. It's a local vanity press so Teensy has to beat the bushes now that the book's available. I'll hold the launch right here in my house and arrange some signings in town for her, too. She's sure to attract a lot of attention, being an Ashton Corners gal and all.”

“I think that's great. What's the catch?”

“I'll need some help . . .” Molly let the statement just dangle there.

“Uh-huh. You're meaning me, aren't you?”

“Well, honey, you are in charge of the book club.” Molly gave the brim of her sun hat a slight adjustment.

Lizzie nodded. “Of course I'll help. But is it possible we can do all of this in the next month before school starts? I'll be fairly busy working with the teachers for the first few weeks after that.”

“Well, surely. That shouldn't be a problem then. And I'll contact the printer and order the books. I think it would be a good idea to call the rest of the book club and maybe set up a little meeting, a patio party, I think, this Sunday and get them all involved, too. Do you think they'll all agree?”

“I think that's guaranteed.” Lizzie thought it through. “I'm happy to do the promotional stuff. And Sally-Jo would be a whiz helping with the organizing and planning a menu. You are going to have food, I'd imagine?”

Molly nodded.

“And Stephanie would take pride in selling the book,” Lizzie went on.

“We'd have to ask Andrea to watch over baby Wendy in that case,” Molly added. “Stephanie can't be tending to her child at the same time as counting out change.”

“That would work. But I'll bet Andie could also help with the selling and, between the both of them, keep an eye on the baby, too.”

Molly seemed to be considering the possibility and finally nodded her agreement.

“I'll just sweet-talk Bob into handling the operations portion,” Molly said with a twinkle in her eye. “You know, moving the books around and such. I daresay that will appeal to his orderly tendencies, as in law and order.”

“Sweet-talk him? Molly, you devil.” Lizzie laughed, stretching her legs out and into the sun that was creeping past them on the patio. “Jacob will be certain to help with that, too, I'd think. Or maybe we could put his lawyerly skills to good use elsewhere. Dealing with the publisher, maybe? Do we need a contract or two?”

Molly leaned over and squeezed Lizzie's hand. “I know Teensy will be so pleased. I can't wait for you to meet her. She's larger than life.”

“I look forward to it and I'll bet everyone in the book club will be happy to take part. After all, we're always up for a mystery.”

And, it would be good to not have a murder on their agenda, except, of course, between the covers.