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Invitation to Murder
(2026)(The first book in the Killer Event Mystery series)
A novel by Carol Floriani
Nothing spoils a party like an uninvited corpse, which is just Lacey Langdon’s luck as she inherits a printing and party-planning business in this letter-perfect debut mystery.
After inheriting her mother’s printing and party-planning business, Lacey Langdon moves back to her sleepy hometown of Willow Bluffs, perched on New Jersey’s Palisades. When her great-aunt, Tessa Langdon Vander Horn, a well-known and beloved soap opera star, sells her nineteenth-century estate and donates ten acres to the development of a community park, Lacey’s new venture is put at the helm of the opening ceremony. But the festivities quickly come to an end when the body of town councilman Glenn Hartman is found on the bank of the Hudson River.
Partnering with her former classmate, lawyer Derek Conover, they dig deep into the case to find out who is behind the murder. Suspicions abound, but Lacey and Derek hit a snag when one of their prime suspects drops dead at Lacey’s next event. With a second body added to the count, tensions rise in Willow Bluffs.
Caught in the cross fire when remnants of a family tragedy resurface, Lacey and Derek must act swiftly before another body drops dead.
Perfect for readers of Ellie Brannigan and Laurien Berenson, this cozy mystery is a charming small-town read.
Genre: Cozy Mystery
After inheriting her mother’s printing and party-planning business, Lacey Langdon moves back to her sleepy hometown of Willow Bluffs, perched on New Jersey’s Palisades. When her great-aunt, Tessa Langdon Vander Horn, a well-known and beloved soap opera star, sells her nineteenth-century estate and donates ten acres to the development of a community park, Lacey’s new venture is put at the helm of the opening ceremony. But the festivities quickly come to an end when the body of town councilman Glenn Hartman is found on the bank of the Hudson River.
Partnering with her former classmate, lawyer Derek Conover, they dig deep into the case to find out who is behind the murder. Suspicions abound, but Lacey and Derek hit a snag when one of their prime suspects drops dead at Lacey’s next event. With a second body added to the count, tensions rise in Willow Bluffs.
Caught in the cross fire when remnants of a family tragedy resurface, Lacey and Derek must act swiftly before another body drops dead.
Perfect for readers of Ellie Brannigan and Laurien Berenson, this cozy mystery is a charming small-town read.
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Praise for this book
"With its beguiling setting and smart, funny characters, Invitation To Murder is a novel you'll want to crawl into and wrap around you like a blanket. It's the best cozy mystery I've read since Agatha Christie's Miss Marple series." - Ash Clifton
"Decades-old family secrets abound in Carol Floriani's marvelous debut. Featuring a venerable soap opera diva as the matriarch, Invitation to Murder is itself soap-opera worthy with a cast of characters I want to spend more time with and an ending I never saw coming! Bravo!" - Annette Dashofy
"Secrets from the past intertwine with murders in the present, creating a story you won't want to put down!" - Ruth J Hartman
"Carol Floriani's Invitation to Murder brings together everything I love about contemporary mysteries with a classical vibe and a hint of Wuthering Heights. Family secrets, small-town drama, hidden rooms, love letters, and murder on the Palisades... What more could a reader ask for?" - K B Jackson
"Lacey Langdon, a novice event planner, teams up with a lawyer friend and a beloved soap opera star, who happens to be her great aunt, to solve the murder of a town councilman in sleepy Willow Bluffs. The councilman's body had turned up on the bank of the Hudson River during a groundbreaking ceremony Lacey had planned, abruptly halting the festivities. The sleuths discover more than they bargained for as their net widens. They uncover a land deal gone bad and much more. The intrigue, craftily laced with cozy charm, kept me in suspense all the way to the breathtaking finale. I can't wait to read the next book in the series!" - Mary Karnes
"Invitation To Murder is chock full of tragic secrets from a wealthy family's past and present. Floriani masterfully blends the old with the new in this mystery that takes the reader on a journey of unrequited love, greed, and murder." - Heather Weidner
"Decades-old family secrets abound in Carol Floriani's marvelous debut. Featuring a venerable soap opera diva as the matriarch, Invitation to Murder is itself soap-opera worthy with a cast of characters I want to spend more time with and an ending I never saw coming! Bravo!" - Annette Dashofy
"Secrets from the past intertwine with murders in the present, creating a story you won't want to put down!" - Ruth J Hartman
"Carol Floriani's Invitation to Murder brings together everything I love about contemporary mysteries with a classical vibe and a hint of Wuthering Heights. Family secrets, small-town drama, hidden rooms, love letters, and murder on the Palisades... What more could a reader ask for?" - K B Jackson
"Lacey Langdon, a novice event planner, teams up with a lawyer friend and a beloved soap opera star, who happens to be her great aunt, to solve the murder of a town councilman in sleepy Willow Bluffs. The councilman's body had turned up on the bank of the Hudson River during a groundbreaking ceremony Lacey had planned, abruptly halting the festivities. The sleuths discover more than they bargained for as their net widens. They uncover a land deal gone bad and much more. The intrigue, craftily laced with cozy charm, kept me in suspense all the way to the breathtaking finale. I can't wait to read the next book in the series!" - Mary Karnes
"Invitation To Murder is chock full of tragic secrets from a wealthy family's past and present. Floriani masterfully blends the old with the new in this mystery that takes the reader on a journey of unrequited love, greed, and murder." - Heather Weidner
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