Crooked Paths: A Chautauqua Murder Mystery

"An Agatha Christie for the text-message age," IndieReader calls the series.

When thrice-married socialite Connie dePalma sashays into Chautauqua in 2019, a neighbor says, "Here comes trouble." And, boy, was he right.

In less than a week Connie is found dead in a nearby gorge.

Many stand to benefit from Connie's demise. But that doesn't mean there was foul play, say the police.

So reporter and relentless snoop Mimi Goldman, with help from her computer-savvy son Jake and 94-year-old sidekick (and wheelman) Sylvia Pritchard, digs in -- following clues to more clues to dead ends and a threat on Mimi's life.

Recovering, Mimi re-questions everything and everyone including Connie's new husband, her apparently saintly sister, a boy-toy assistant, Connie's daughter and new beau, plus the nudists and homeless she finds at the gorge.

In the end, Mimi tries a long-shot hunch, hoping it reveals the killer lurking among Chautauqua's charming cottages, leafy streets and high-minded events -- in time for her to enjoy a visit from her new grandson.

Fans of Agatha Christie and Louise Penny and "Only Murders in the Building" will enjoy this twist-filled mystery Kirkus Reviews calls, "An entertaining addition to a reliable beach-read series."