A costume drama turns truly deadly in this cozy mystery set in small-town California by the New York Times bestselling author.

As the owner of Coffee, Books, and More in the tucked-away town of South Cove, California, Jill Gardner has been known to enjoy a suspenseful tale of murder—as long as it's confined to the pages of a good book. But now a local charity wants her to portray a twenties flapper in a dinner theater murder mystery. She doesn't love the idea, but going the extra mile for a good cause never killed anybody...until now.

While everyone is expecting a "dead" body at the dress rehearsal, they are shocked to find one of their castmates actually dead. Suspicion falls on the late actor's conniving girlfriend Sherry—who also happens to be the ex-wife of Jill's main squeeze. Sherry is definitely a master manipulator. But is she a killer? It's up to Jill to find out before it's curtains for someone else.