Catch Her in the Rye
(2027)(The second book in the Bertie and Joan Mystery series)
A novel by Nova Walsh
A women’s writing prize. A poisoned guest of honor. And a new employee with secrets of her own.
Bertie Hirsch finally has the fresh start she came to Spoonbill Bay to find.
The Second Shelf is open for business and full of secondhand treasures, bookish conversation, and more local gossip than Bertie could ever hope to keep out. So when a prestigious women’s writing competition chooses her shop to host its finalist events, Bertie sees a chance to put her little bookstore on the map.
She also sees a lot more work than one retired librarian can handle.
Her new part-time employee seems like the perfect answer. She’s capable, knowledgeable, and suspiciously eager to help. But when the competition’s celebrated guest of honor is poisoned, Bertie discovers that the woman has a complicated history with the deceased.
The police see motive and opportunity. Joan sees a woman who has been lying from the beginning. Bertie sees someone who deceived her but may not be a murderer.
Joan’s connections may open doors Bertie would rather avoid, but solving this murder will require them to look past polished reputations, unfinished stories, and their own very different ideas about whom to trust.
Full of sharp banter, beach-town charm, bookshop coziness, and two seventy-something sleuths still learning how much they can rely on each other, Catch Her in the Rye is the second Bertie and Joan Mystery.
Genre: Mystery
Bertie Hirsch finally has the fresh start she came to Spoonbill Bay to find.
The Second Shelf is open for business and full of secondhand treasures, bookish conversation, and more local gossip than Bertie could ever hope to keep out. So when a prestigious women’s writing competition chooses her shop to host its finalist events, Bertie sees a chance to put her little bookstore on the map.
She also sees a lot more work than one retired librarian can handle.
Her new part-time employee seems like the perfect answer. She’s capable, knowledgeable, and suspiciously eager to help. But when the competition’s celebrated guest of honor is poisoned, Bertie discovers that the woman has a complicated history with the deceased.
The police see motive and opportunity. Joan sees a woman who has been lying from the beginning. Bertie sees someone who deceived her but may not be a murderer.
Joan’s connections may open doors Bertie would rather avoid, but solving this murder will require them to look past polished reputations, unfinished stories, and their own very different ideas about whom to trust.
Full of sharp banter, beach-town charm, bookshop coziness, and two seventy-something sleuths still learning how much they can rely on each other, Catch Her in the Rye is the second Bertie and Joan Mystery.
Genre: Mystery