Death in the Fifth Position (24 page)

Reflecting sadly that the Ivan Washburns of this world always win, Jane and I went home to celebrate. A row of Miss Flynn’s asterisks could alone describe our bliss.

DEATH BEFORE BEDTIME

In
Death Before Bedtime
, dashing P.R. man Peter Sargeant is invited to the home of a venerable senator to help strategize his imminent run for president. On the night before he’s to announce, though, the senator is murdered in his bed. No longer needed as a political publicist, Sargeant finds himself helping the police find the killer. He deftly navigates an eccentric cast of characters, all of whom are suspects: the rebellious daughter; the sycophantic aide; the grieving widow; and the power-hungry governor with his eye on the senator’s job. Somehow, between charming the senator’s daughter and glad-handing Washington’s elite, Sargeant still manages to methodically put the pieces into place and sees that politics truly is a cutthroat business.

Crime Fiction/978-0-307-74143-1

DEATH LIKES IT HOT

In
Death Likes It Hot
, Peter Sargeant travels out to a posh beach community to help a wealthy socialite plan an end-of-summer party. His enjoyment of the sun, the surf, and the company of a lovely young fashion reporter is interrupted by the death of the socialite’s niece: she mysteriously drowns while swimming on a crowded beach. No one suspects murder until the police find a lethal dose of sleeping pills in her system. As Sargeant watches the police’s investigation unfold, he keeps an eye on the grieving socialite; the victim’s famous painter husband; a suspiciously cheery brother and sister; and a garrulous tabloid columnist. Now, instead of planning guest lists, wine choices, and menus, Sargeant is faced with a killer unlike any he’s ever faced: highly sophisticated, devilishly clever, and just as smooth as he is.

Crime Fiction/978-0-307-74144-8

VINTAGE CRIME/BLACK LIZARD
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