Kimberlee Kalder is just one of the guests at the mystery writers’ convention at Dalmoral Castle in Scotland, but she’s the one getting the most attention. Her first novel, a frothy confection focusing on stiletto heels, cocktails, and lattes, has turned out to be a super successful publishing phenomenon — and a roman a clef skewering her former colleagues in the magazine business. Word is, her next novel will be just as unforgiving to the people she’s met in the book publishing biz.
When Kimberlee’s lifeless body shows up in a medieval torture device called a bottle dungeon, and the manuscript of her second book is nowhere to be found, DCI St.Just has to give up being a speaker at the conference and start investigating the crime.
When all the suspects are professional crime planners, a real-life crime is bound to bring out some unusual reactions. But there are also plenty of secrets and Kimberlee had a knack for making enemies, just as she had a knack for making money.
The puzzle is satisfying, the book is beautifully written, and the characters are memorable.