A Grave Issue

by Lillian Bell Narrated by Katelyn Farrugia

Overview

After an on-air gaffe goes viral and jeopardizes her career, journalist Desiree Turner retreats home to Verbena, California for some peace and quiet. She begins working one of the quietest jobs around: presiding over funerals for her great-grandfather's funeral parlor. But the action seems to follow her as a fistfight breaks out between neighbors Rosemarie Brewer and Lola Hansen at one of the first funerals she's in charge of running. It exposes a nasty dispute and Rosemarie's husband, Alan, is found murdered shortly after. Lola's husband, Kyle, is immediately arrested. Desiree, whose own father's death was devastating, has always viewed Kyle as a second father. Determined to clear his name, Desiree jumps head first into the investigation and quickly discovers that Alan had several unsavory habits at his job and in his personal life, including putting assets into his mistress's account to hide them from Rosemarie. People murder for money and love all the time, and there's no telling who he offended just enough to push them over the edge. Desiree is looking in all the right places, but she better catch the killer fast before they come for her next in A Grave Issue, the clever series debut by Lillian Bell.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

12/11/2017
An on-air gaffe that goes viral—a rant against old people—sends Los Angles TV news anchor Desiree Turner fleeing to her hometown of Verbena, Calif., where she ends up managing the family funeral parlor, in Bell’s fun debut and series launch. When Rosemarie and Alan Brewer’s pet emu, Vincent, suddenly dies, the couple claim that the barking of two dogs belonging to Desiree’s neighbors and surrogate parents, Lola and Kyle Hansen, frightened Vincent to death. The police do not prosecute. When someone fatally shoots Alan, whose corpse is delivered to Desiree’s funeral home, the police arrest Kyle. In her efforts to clear Kyle’s name, Desiree gets help from a local cop, a local reporter, and the coroner, while remaining oblivious to their obvious attraction to her. Bell draws Desiree’s suitors with enough detail for the reader to care which one she chooses, and supplies enough twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. Cozy fans will find all the right ingredients for a satisfying series. Agent: Andrea Somberg, Harvey Klinger Literary. (Feb.)

From the Publisher

Praise for A Grave Issue:
“Cozy fans will find all the right ingredients for a satisfying series.”
—Publishers Weekly

“Bell’s debut is a worthy addition to the ‘home again’ corner of the cozy world, with enough wit and moxie to warrant a return appearance.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“A Grave Issue opens with emus, dead bodies, and a compelling first person voice. Throw in the secrets revealed in a small-town funeral parlor and the antics of local citizens, and you have Andy of Mayberry meets Six Feet Under. Lillian Bell’s funeral parlor mystery is flat-out fun from the opening line to the last word. The mystery is perfectly executed, but the characters will steal your heart.”
—Carolyn Haines, USA Today bestselling author of the Sarah Booth Delaney, Pluto’s Snitch, and Familiar Legacy mystery series

"A Grave Issue by Lillian Bell delivers everything I love about cozies—quirky characters, a clever plot, and occasional mayhem. A fun read with engaging humor and enough clues and red herrings to keep the pages turning, this first in a series is highly recommended!"
—Dawn Eastman, national bestselling author of the Family Fortune mysteries

“A Grave Issue by Lillian Bell is marvelous multi-layered mystery must-read! The engaging cast of characters captured me immediately, and the story has all the twists and turns a reader could want...A book to remember! Treat yourself to this one—and to Ms. Bell’s next in the series as well!”
—Nancy Haddock, national bestselling author of the Silver Six Crafting mysteries

“Peopled with quirky, distinctive characters, drop-dead humor, and a mystery as solid as any monument, A Grave Issue is a hilarious and entertaining read.”
—Annelise Ryan, bestselling author of the Mattie Winston mysteries

Lillian Bell makes funeral parlors feel cozy, while catching the business dead to rights. Wishing this delightful new series a long life.”
—Elaine Viets, author of Fire and Ashes

Kirkus Reviews

2017-12-12
A disgraced reporter who returns home to work at her family's funeral parlor runs into even more fatalities than the job provides.After a hot mic incident gets Desiree Turner fired from her job at KLVX TV, she slinks home to Verbena, a tiny town outside Sacramento, to lick her wounds. There's plenty of room for her in the spacious digs atop the Turner Family Funeral Home, where her Uncle Joey, sister Donna, and brother-in-law Greg already live. And since her father's recent death in a surfing accident, there's plenty for her to do downstairs at the mortuary, especially when pregnant Donna gets put on bed rest and can't run the funeral services. Nor is there any lack of old friends to welcome her back. She and best gal pal Jasmine meet up for drinks at Tappiano's, and Luke Butler still calls her Death Ray, a nickname she's resented since elementary school. Rafe Valdez even offers her a job on the Verbena Free Press. But Desiree's attention is focused on clearing her late father's best friend, Kyle Hansen, who's accused of gunning down banker Alan Brewer, which may be related to a squabble over the death of Vincent, Brewer's pet emu. Desiree's not entirely sure the Hansens are responsible for Vincent's untimely demise, but she's more than sure that Kyle didn't kill Alan. Persuading Luke Butler, now Verbena's police chief, may take all of Desiree's skills as a newshound, with a little bit of mortician thrown in.Bell's debut is a worthy addition to the "home again" corner of the cozy world, with enough wit and moxie to warrant a return appearance.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940191898452
Publisher:	Everand Productions
Publication date:	07/09/2024
Series:	Funeral Parlor Mysteries Volume 1
Edition description:	Unabridged

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