A Real Basket Case

The best friend of Claire Hanover, 46-year-old proprietor of a Colorado Springs gift basket business, arranges for a handsome young massage therapist to give Claire a massage. When he's shot and killed in her bedroom and police arrest her husband, Roger, for the crime, Claire must convince Roger she wasn't having an affair and, with advice from a PI friend, find the real killer before Roger loses his job and goes to trial. Claire confronts the victim's fiery ex-girlfriend, his drug-dealing cohorts, and the gym ladies he supplied with cocaine or seduced for money. She must extricate herself from under a drug dealer's bed while he seduces his girlfriend, from jail--charged with breaking and entering, from a drug boss's limousine while he berates her for "messin' in his business," and from her angry aerobics classmates when they discover she suspects them. She makes mistakes at every turn, but she perseveres. Will she find the real murderer before Roger loses his job and goes to trial? Can she convince her husband to come back to her? Or will the killer get to her first?

“This will appeal to Desperate Housewives fans and those who like cozies with a bit of spice.”

        -- Barbara Bibel, Booklist Review, February 1, 2007

“Drugs and jealousy add up to a Rocky Mountain murder. A tense, exciting debut.”

        -- Kirkus Reviews, January 1, 2007

“A gutsy sleuth, a fast-paced plot, and intriguing characters that keep you guessing.  A Real Basket Case is a real winner!  Don't miss it.”

  -- Maggie Sefton, bestselling author of Knit One, Kill Two