Description:
With loose cattle and a murderer hiding in plain sight, Katie's got to think fast before making her next move, or it will be her last
Charcuterie chef, Katie Aubrey, is all agog, having been selected to cater a spectacular dining experience at The Pinnacle, a prestigious five-star senior residence. With twenty distinct charcuterie boards for the individual residents, Katie is certain this event will give her the publicity she needs to move up in the culinary world. But things don't go as planned. A number of loose cattle block Cave Creek Road and the word sabotage is on everyone's lips. To make matters worse, Edith Ellroy, former food critic and intolerable ghost, who occupies Katie's residence, creates additional havoc at Katie's Char-Board restaurant. Still, Katie and her crew manage to have everything in order for the event. But just as they think all will go well, she and one of her employees, discover the lifeless body of The Pinnacle's manager under a date palm tree at the residence.
The situation turns dicey when the pocket knife belonging to Katie's sous chef, who was creating the charcuteries at the Pinnacle, is found at the murder scene. Fearing that he will be arrested based on circumstantial evidence, Katie has no choice but to do some sleuthing on her own. Unfortunately, Edith decides to take part as well. Katie finds a way into the victim's room to see what information may be on her computer, but before she can investigate, another resident walks in and tells Katie that she believes she knows who the murderer is. To get to the bottom of it, the woman holds a dinner in her suite and invites Katie to join a few trusted residents who want the murder solved ASAP.
Unfortunately, the plan doesn't materialize because another victim from The Pinnacle is found dead. This time it's one of the housekeepers, a young woman. Katie is certain that the first murder was premeditated but the recent one was not. In spite of Edith's hindrance, Katie solicits the help of her boyfriend and snoops around the house belonging to the owner of the Pinnacle. And just as she thinks she's on to something, The Pinnacle is sabotaged when its refrigerant line is cut. Katie knows she's close to an answer but so is the sheriff's office who now have more evidence against Javie. Undaunted, Katie continues to poke around, only to discover a clever connection between the loose cattle and the two murders. But when she tries to pull the threads together, she finds herself at the end of the rope.
Brief description: New York native Ann I. Goldfarb spent most of her life in education, first as a classroom teacher and later as a middle school principal and professional staff developer. Writing as J. C. Eaton, along with her late husband, James Clapp, they have authored the Sophie Kimball Mysteries (Kensington), The Wine Trail Mysteries (Kensington Lyrical Underground and Beyond the Page Publishing), and the Marcie Rayner Mysteries (Camel). In addition, Ann has nine published YA time travel mysteries under her own name.When the late James E. Clapp retired as the tasting room manager for a large upstate New York winery, he never imagined he'd be co-authoring cozy mysteries with his wife, Ann I. Goldfarb. Non-fiction in the form of informational brochures and workshop materials treating the winery industry were his forte along with an extensive background and experience in construction that started with his service in the U.S. Navy and included vocational school classroom teaching. This is the final book he co-authored in this series.