Funeral Parlor Mystery

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-grandfathers 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 shes in charge of running. It exposes a nasty dispute and Rosemaries husband, Alan, is found murdered shortly after. Lolas husband, Kyle, is immediately arrested. Desiree, whose own fathers 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 mistresss account to hide them from Rosemarie. People murder for money and love all the time, and theres 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.

Perfect for fans of Carolyn Haines and Donna Andrews, Lillian Bell makes the return with her second Funeral Parlor mystery featuring funeral director Desiree Turner. When an unnatural cause of death finds one of her clients, Desiree must get to the bottom of the murder before shes fitted for a coffin, herself. Funeral director Desiree Turner deals with death by natural causes all the time. Death by unnatural causes? Not so much. Yet, she and her boyfriend Nate have heard some not-so-dear things about the recently departed. A suspicious remark by the late Frank Fiores daughters sparks some concern. And when Violet Daugherty faints behind the wheel of her car, Desiree suspects shes got a front seat to murder. Desiree cant help but look into Violets untimely end, but soon after, rumors begin to spread that shes accusing her clients of murder, which quickly spurs a mass cancellation and Desiree is on the verge of going out of business. What began as an effort to do due diligence for her client turns into a wild goose chase for Violets murderer. Desiree must find her proof before everything she works for is lost. But thats easier said than done, because while everyone else in town is looking to take their business elsewhere, the killer sets sights directly upon Desiree. Now its up to Desiree to find the murderer before she becomes the next body her funeral parlor serves in If the Coffin Fits, Lillian Bells second charming Funeral Parlor mystery.