Coastal Corpse

It’s “tween time” before the holiday

season on Coral Island, Florida, and

Mallie Monroe’s life has taken a bizarre

turn: she is engaged to her erstwhile

boyfriend, Cole; her co-worker at the

Observer is on her honeymoon; and her

crusty editor, Anita, has just eloped with

the newspaper’s el cheapo boss.

Love and marriage are in the autumn

air.

But Mallie is fighting off her insecurities

about settling down, and she’s dealing

with being in charge for the first time in

her life—of the Observer as the temporary

editor. Sadly, front-page stories prove

to be as scarce as a hermit crab on the

beach.

Even worse, the only reporters to help

out are Madame Geri, the island’s freelance

psychic; Bernice, Anita’s cranky

sister; Pop Pop Welch, an aging handyman;

and Joe Earl, whose claim to fame

is his haunted violin.

In a desperate attempt to get some

news, Mallie covers the town council

election debate, which erupts into a

melee. Afterward, one of the candidates—

landscaper Bucky McGuire—

turns up dead in a fish tank. Mallie has

her headline. The only catch is that her

landlady and best friend, Wanda Sue,

becomes the prime suspect.

To save her friend, Mallie has to swing

into investigative mode to solve the crime

before she winds up as yesterday’s news.