Free from the author via KDP Select @
Amazon:
Adorably Dead by Lindsay Maracotta (
SYKM), 3rd in her Dead is the New Fabulous series which she files as cozy in the Amazon categories (YMMV), starring a children's film animator living in a glitzy Hollywood neighbourhood, originally published under the title
Playing Dead by HarperCollins' William Morrow imprint in 1999. We've previously received at least the 1st-in-series free as well.
"I suppose that when you are about to go downtown to identify your husband's body at the county morgue, you shouldn't be obsessing over what to wear."
Lucy Frampton is trying to lead a normal life amid the glitzy trappings of Los Angeles. Her friends enjoy intimate relationships with aroma therapists and body sculptors, and her neighbors' estates boast screening rooms and humidity-controlled wine cellars. The exclusive Windermere Academy, which her daughter, Chloe, attends, has a shrink on the payroll to lead "encounter sessions" when tiny tempests threaten the students' sunny days.
But Lucy, a sensible, transplanted Midwesterner, keeps her sights down-to-earth. She's an outstanding mom, a sexy wife, and an animator whose career is rocketing. But then, in a flash, her perfect world of storyboard mornings and car-pool afternoons goes from romantic comedy to film noir.
Lucy's new nanny, Brandon, college friend--and onetime lover (but that's another story)--is shot dead while driving her husband's car. It's unclear who the intended victim was, but then Lucy stumbles upon something even more chilling: a video hidden among Brandon's things that might show a child committing a murder.
Though the authorities scoff, Lucy suspects the killer is cruising through classrooms and lunchrooms, as dewy-eyed innocent as any other kid. With a razor wit and a hilarious irreverence for the trappings of fame , Lucy launches a one-woman investigation, leading smack into the looking-glass world of child actors, where nine-year-olds can fire their own parents, where a child's smile commands top dollar--and a killer is about to have the last laugh!