Product Review

It’s “tween time” before the holiday
season on Coral Island, Florida, and
Mallie Monroe’s life has taken a bizarre
turn: she is engaged to her erstwhile
boyfriend, Cole; her co-worker at the
Observer is on her honeymoon; and her
crusty editor, Anita, has just eloped with
the newspaper’s el cheapo boss.
Love and marriage are in the autumn
air.
But Mallie is fighting off her insecurities
about settling down, and she’s dealing
with being in charge for the first time in
her life—of the Observer as the temporary
editor. Sadly, front-page stories prove
to be as scarce as a hermit crab on the
beach.
Even worse, the only reporters to help
out are Madame Geri, the island’s freelance
psychic; Bernice, Anita’s cranky
sister; Pop Pop Welch, an aging handyman;
and Joe Earl, whose claim to fame
is his haunted violin.
In a desperate attempt to get some
news, Mallie covers the town council
election debate, which erupts into a
melee. Afterward, one of the candidates—
landscaper Bucky McGuire—
turns up dead in a fish tank. Mallie has
her headline. The only catch is that her
landlady and best friend, Wanda Sue,
becomes the prime suspect.
To save her friend, Mallie has to swing
into investigative mode to solve the crime
before she winds up as yesterday’s news.