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Overview

Down on her luck and looking for employment, ex-engineer, autistic and 20 something Holly Lawson wants nothing more than a month of less stimulation, sand, sun, and gorgeous Southern men when she takes on a job of beach house sitting for her Aunt Bess in lovely, Destin, Florida. But when she finds her aunt dead when she arrives, the month turns in to much more than she bargained for. John Sands, a neighboring hottie in the beach house next door, offers help and maybe something more, but Holly isn't sure she can trust him. She's never had a long term romance, and John's interest unsettles her. And what about the strange noises in the night, Aunt Bess's boyfriend Bobsey, and the other suspicious off season locals? Can she unravel the mystery of Aunt Bess's death using logic and her ability to stay calm and detached before she finds a gritty ending of her own? Other cozy mysteries in this series: Surfer Dead (October 30, 2016) Bikinied Corpse (December 2016) Speedoed Stiff (February 2017) Killer Waves (June 2017) Excerpt: Holly Lawson drove her old Camry across the Destin Bay Bridge in a flash. The usual line up of cars was non-existent. The sky was a winking azure stone over the emerald waters the area was known for. Suddenly, all was right with her world again after months of struggle. “Man, I'm loving this place in October!” She reached over to pet Cujo, her black cat who purred next to her in the front seat. “We're going to have fun and chill out.” Aunt Bess's call had come unexpectedly, but the woman always had perfect timing. Holly had jumped at the chance to housesit for her. She smiled, thinking about the call two weeks back. “I'm going to Scotland! I've always wanted to go, and then your uncle died. But...now, I'm going!” Bess cleared her throat. “Aw, Aunt Bess. I'm so happy for you.” Holly clamped down a sigh of envy. “But there's good news for you, too, if you're still job hunting and not busy.” Her aunt clicked her tongue. It was an old habit of hers that drove Holly nuts. “Oh? I'm...still looking.” Holly sat down. “I want you to housesit and take care of Bieber for a month while I'm away. You can be here in two weeks, can't you?” Bieber was her aunt's very old orange cat whose hair had an odd wave, just like Justin Bieber's. Leave it to her aunt to have noticed it and to have named her cat after him. “Ah, yes. I can do that.” Holly jumped up and did a silent dance. Now, she was glad she'd said yes. The house was just a few more miles away—one of those that was tucked off of Highway 98 with its own gate. Trees covered the view of it, but Holly remembered it as being spacious and open. It had been almost ten years now since she had visited—far too long. But now, she would be here for a month. “Ah, glorious bliss, Cujo!” The entrance was ahead, behind a thatch of greenery. Holly turned in to the very short driveway. The gate was wide open. “Hmm. That's strange, especially for Aunt Bess.” Aunt Bess had said it would be locked. Perhaps she had just forgotten, but that didn't seem right. The woman was meticulous. Holly licked her lips and drove through and up to the pastel yellow house. Its windows gleamed in the early autumn light, inviting her in. She parked the car in the driveway and then frowned. The front door was slightly ajar. A prickle of unease on the back of her neck and mace at the ready, Holly got out of the car and Cujo followed her.

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