August 1, 2016
Things are definitely looking up for Aurora Teagarden, last seen in 2003’s Poppy Done to Death, in bestseller Harris’s absorbing ninth mystery featuring the Lawrenceton, Ga., librarian. Aurora has a new husband, mystery writer Robin Crusoe, and a baby is on the way. Her 15-year-old half-brother, Phillip, has recently come to live with the newlyweds and has been settling nicely into his new life. So when Phillip and three of his friends disappear without a trace, Aurora is completely at a loss. After a fourth teen vanishes and another is found dead, Aurora and Robin, who decide that they can’t wait for the police to discover what happened to the youngsters, come up with their own plan to find them. Harris weaves a complex tale of difficult family dynamics that highlights the horrors of being a teenager. Aurora, a smart and witty protagonist, possesses all the Southern charm necessary to carry this entertaining series. 150,000 announced first printing; author tour. Agent: Joshua Bilmes, JABberwocky Literary.