Never (Hodge)

Mercedes Harrigan, novice landlord, is a pro at cleaning up messy apartments but cleaning up after an elderly tenant dies presents a different dilemma. It's not the dead body lying on the kitchen floor that has Sadie freaked out-she grew up playing among the caskets at her grandmother's mortuary-it's thecoroner's suspicion that the wiring in Sadie's vintage apartments could be the culprit. Add a threatened lawsuit by the family of the deceased, along with bizarre clues that pop up but don't add up, and Sadie's morale dips lower than the meager balance in her bank account. When none of the authorities will listen to Sadie's suspicions about the supposedly accidental death, Sadie enlists the help of her BFF Rebbie Russell. As the duo digs into the tenant's life the sweet-old-lady facade crumbles and a nastier profile emerges, providing plenty of suspects. Threats against Sadie escalate as they come to the conclusion that her death was not due to old age and a three-pack-a-day habit but rather a cleverly planned murder. When a second murder is made to look like a random mugging, Sadie knows she's on the right track. But can she expose the murderer before she winds up in one of her grandmother's caskets?

Cary Grant Harrigan is a wanted man. Wanted for questioning by the Portneuf Gap Police Department about the bizarre murder of his fiancé. Wanted by the FBI regarding a couple of paintings in his possession which are either stolen originals or fabulous fakes. But Harrigan is MIA and sister/sleuth Sadie Harrigan wants to find him first before the get-rich-quick-scheme he's involved in has him exchanging his surfer wetsuit for a prison jump suit. Cary and fiancé Frobi Fisher arrive in Portneuf Gap, Idaho hoping to sell his mortician grandmother on ordering caskets from their internet company. But before they can seal the deal Frobi's body is discovered behind the wheel of their rental car, marked and enshrouded in gold paint. Sadie's frantic search for her brother is repeatedly impeded by her best friend's reluctance to help, by a determined ghost buster duo, and one stalker fan who insists his favorite primetime cooking diva is holed up in one of Sadie's apartments. Eccentric mother, Willie, jets from L.A., adding more hindrance than assistance. Throw in dire threats from someone anonymous demanding Frobi's missing laptop be returned and Sadie's not sure she can save Cary, or herself, from this grave situation.