Now there is tension between Morgan’s network’s two daytime dramas, staff and actors are being fired and smarmy Damon Radford is not working too hard to quell the disharmony. Morgan manages, however, to stay out of most of the office politics until Damon is found dead and she is left half of his estate under the auspices of her being his fiancée.

All of this is surprising to everyone, but no one more so than to Morgan, who kept as much distance as she could between herself and Damon. Now Morgan has motive for killing Damon and is found standing over the dead, bloody body of an actress in an unlit stairwell. While hunky detective Matt Phoenix wants to believe in Morgan’s innocence, he can’t help but think that all this looks mighty suspicious.

Morgan turns to the one thing she knows best for a solution: creating plots. While trying to look at the murders from a plot writer’s point of view, Morgan also has a few attempts on her life. And she has not only Matt Phoenix looking at her as a possible romantic interest, but also biographer Chet. Morgan is not sure she is ready to start dating only six short years after her husband’s death. Egged on by best friend Nancy and new pal, Matt’s (very young) aunt Peggy, Morgan begins to come out of her shell, but she hopes not in time to be killed.

Love is Murder is a fast-paced, very enjoyable start to a new series. While Morgan’s occupation is writing for soap operas, the business is not so front and center as to turn away readers who are not fans of the daytime dramas. There is more focus on the business of television and plotting and writing than the actual stories. Morgan is a very enjoyable young woman, smart, spunky and very willing to admit her own mistakes.

Too much is made sometimes of Morgan’s penchant for walking everywhere and taking stairs over elevators, though one must admire her dedication to finding exercise in everyday life. Her friend Nancy is as developed as her new friend Penny, but through Morgan’s descriptions we learn how good a friend Nancy has been to her over the years and look forward to learning more about her.

Some of the characters mentioned early on in the book that seem like they will be important seem to fade into the background once Morgan begins focusing on her suspects.

The plot has several clever twists that readers may or may not see coming as there are not too many obvious clues. The culprit may be picked out early on, though means and motives may not be as obvious. Love is Murder is a quick read that will quickly win Linda Palmer many fans and have readers tuning in for the next episode of Morgan Tyler’s life.

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry