At the last minute, Sylvia seems to have a change of heart and may not reveal Charlie’s secret after all, but before she can finish her announcement, she collapses, from a deadly dose of poison is the general consensus. Charlie is the police’s first suspect, not only because it was his secret that was scheduled to be revealed, but because a vial of poison was found in the jacket he left hanging, unattended, during a cloistered session.

Molly, who has been involved in solving four other cases, takes this accusation personally and sets out to clear her father’s name. First though, she wants to learn the secret Sylvia claimed to have on her father, despite his protestations to the contrary.

While Molly quietly investigates the other five members of the board, she receives a threat and a clue on her home fax machine. She slowly discovers secrets several other members hold, but when her gossipy, high school nemesis Stephanie is appointed to fill the vacancy on the board, she is able to gather information at a quicker rate.

Unfortunately, Stephanie also dispenses information to others just as quickly, causing an attempt on Molly’s life when she lets it slip that Molly is spending an afternoon at a spa. After that, Molly steps up her efforts to find the killer before he or she finds Molly.

The School Board Murders is typical of the suburban cozy sub-genre, complete with soccer moms and a PTA. The secrets the school board members guard and the various twists are intriguing enough, but when the last secret is revealed, it is disappointing and less than dramatic. There are various red herrings along the way, but they are obvious, leaving the true killer easy to pick out, although the secret is harder to guess.

Molly has a small home business designing faxable and traditional greeting cads. Because of this, she is always thinking of puns and clever sayings. This light touch is a welcome diversion in some of the situations and will elicit the occasional giggle. Molly seems to have an endless supply of energy as she supports her parents, attends her son’s soccer games regularly and worries about her daughter’s approaching teen years.

Molly’s friend Lauren (and the police detective’s wife) plays only a peripheral role and many of the other mothers Molly interacts with are stereotypical of several types of suburban moms. All-in-all, The School Board Murders is a typically tame suburban mystery, with plenty of grins thrown in as Molly plans her next greeting card.

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry