Now a malicious copy of the flyer is circulating, accusing people of murder and revealing extra-marital affairs. Annie is outraged that someone has turned her promotion into something so vile and author Emma is livid.

Annie teams up with her information-gathering husband and the mystery writer to track down the author of this malicious missive. When the trio's information begins to point toward the local high school, Annie turns to her teenage step-sister for the inside scoop. The deaths of a teacher and one of Rachel's classmates make Annie realize that someone is not just playing a mean-spirited prank, but is playing for keeps.

April Fool Dead is the thirteenth in a series of dependable cozies based in a small island off the coast of South Carolina. Annie Darling is a mystery lover's dream as she name-drops many popular authors and offers two quizzes (the flyer and one in the form of pictures hanging in her shop) to test readers' skills. Annie has a way of making her customers feel at home and it works for the readers too. Annie is a strong, female character, her husband very supportive of his wife. Her mother-in-law is a quirky addition, giving Annie alternate worries as the older woman chases pirates' booty off the coast.

In the opening chapter of the novel there are several vignettes of seemingly unrelated items that may throw the reader off, but once their purpose and meaning becomes clear the story comes quickly into focus and propels Annie and her cohorts headlong into the investigation. The investigation takes an interesting, possibly unexpected turn away from the initial focus, but in the end, all the loose ends are neatly tied up, including the answers to the two mystery quizzes. April Fool Dead is a perfect cozy for mystery lovers who love the feeling of being welcomed into and a part of the story. This is a dependable series that will entertain readers in years to come.

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry