I read the fourth book in this series first and was so happy with it that I had to go back to the beginning and see where it all started. Surprisingly enough this book was just as good as the one I originally read. The only real complaint I have is that it lagged in the beginning, though it at least gave a little background on the main characters as it did so. Once it starts to move it does so at a nice pace that actually helps to build the suspense as it introduces more suspects. I found the dialogue to be just right to elicit the emotions and feelings they wanted.

Roxy Parker is a ghost writer, which means she is hired by those wishing to write their memoirs to make it sound intelligent and well written, and she does not get any credit. Roxy is just fine with that as long as they continue to pay her and she can continue to pay her bills. Roxy also has a rather macabre hobby, she collects crime clippings, mostly about murders which her boss calls her “Book of Death.”

Roxy has been hired to ghost write the memoir of the wealthy society matron Beatrice Musgrove. So far things have been very tame and somewhat boring, but then Beatrice says that she has a few revelations coming up that will make for more interesting reading. Days before she is to see Roxy and reveal her true secrets she is murdered in her home and it is declared a suicide, which Roxy does not believe for one minute. She launches her own investigation and finds that some things might be better left alone.

I had a good idea of who the killer was well before the end but it was still fun finding out if I was right or not. A good mystery always has enough red herrings that you make mistakes more than you get it right at the beginning. There was one thing that annoyed me greatly about Roxy and it was the fact that she liked Merlot, I hate Merlot. A little light romance or at least an attempt at romance on the part of one character. Good clean mystery.