The Plot Is Murder

by V.M. Burns · 2017

Samantha Washington has finally found the perfect spot on the Lake Michigan shore to open her dream mystery bookstore in the charming town of North Harbor. As she hires a quirky crew, stocks the shelves, and begins drafting her own cozy‑mystery novel about Lady Penelope Marsh—a sharp‑witted English aristocrat battling her glamorous sister for the affection of Victor Carlston—real life turns deadly. A shady realtor is found murdered in Samantha’s backyard, and the police quickly suspect the very owner of the new mystery shop. With the help of her feisty grandmother and a band of enthusiastic retirees, Samantha must untangle a labyrinthine real‑world whodunit before she can even cut the ribbon on her store, while simultaneously guiding Penelope through a maze of murder in her fictional interwar England. The novel weaves two parallel mysteries, blending small‑town charm, literary imagination, and a race‑against‑time sleuthing adventure.