Etiquette for Lovers and Killers - by Anna Fitzgerald Healy (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Set in 1960s Maine, a Nancy Drew for the contemporary adult reader, in a deliciously witty and twisty murder mystery following a young woman who just wishes something interesting would happen for once--only to stumble upon a stranger-than-fiction mystery that even the local police can't handle"--

Book Synopsis

A USA TODAY BESTSELLER

What are the chances of receiving a love letter and an engagement ring for a perfect stranger, only to see that same woman murdered the very next day?

It's 1964 in the tiny town of Eastport, Maine, and Billie McCadie is bored to death. She's surrounded by dull people with more manners than sense, and no sign of the intrigue or romance that fill her beloved novels. That is, until an engagement ring and cryptic love letter turn up, addressed to "Gertrude." Until she meets yacht-club handsome Avery Webster. Until the unsettling phone calls and visits from a man in a fedora begin. Until she's one of the last people to see Gertrude alive . . . and the first to see her dead.

What follows is an intoxicating cocktail of stalking, blackmail, Jell-O salads, and champagne secrets, all served along the rocky Maine coastline. Everyone is a suspect. Everyone has a secret. And (strangely) everyone has a boat. But who is willing to kiss and tell? As the body count rises and the danger nears, why does Billie feel like she's more than just a side character? After yearning to be in the action for so long, would it be terribly unladylike to have some fun of her own?

A love letter to uncivilized behavior, Etiquette for Lovers and Killers blends mystery and romance into a witty, twisty, murderous delight that aches for better manners.

Review Quotes

One of GoodReads' Most Anticipated Books of July
One of Shelf Awareness' Best Books of the Week

"[A] charming rom-com mystery." --Minnesota Star Tribune

"Utterly delightful and crackling with wit, I could not put this down! Think 1960s Gilmore Girls with a good dose of murder and a dash of romance. Billie McCadie is the kind of character you'll love spending time with, and the ups and downs her investigating murder in the upper echelons of Eastport Maine have all the hallmarks of the perfect murder mystery: fantastic setting, characters with layers of secrets, and some fabulous twists and turns." --Kristen Perrin, New York Times bestselling author of How to Solve Your Own Murder

"Etiquette for Lovers and Killers is an alluring and impressive debut. Anna Fitzgerald Healy brings a powerful new voice to the genre, seamlessly marrying polished prose and razor-sharp wit with snappy banter and a crackling romance. I was completely swept away." --Elle Cosimano, New York Times bestselling author of Finlay Donovan is Killing It

"Graciously decline your plans for the evening, because you'll be far too occupied with this delightfully twisty novel. Billie McCadie is Nancy Drew, if Nancy had been raised by Emily Post and Dorothy Parker. This novel is a romantic, murderous vacation resplendent with Jell-O salads and deliciously devious correspondence. Etiquette for Lovers and Killers is a politely mischievous love letter to language, manners, and murder." --Julia Seales, bestselling author of A Most Agreeable Murder

"A darkly humorous, lighthearted romp of a mystery. . . Stylish, playful, and more than a little tongue-in-cheek, Etiquette for Lovers and Killers blends intrigue and romance into a perfect cocktail. Billie herself offers a delightful combination of bookishness, wit, and questionable decision-making that will keep readers on edge until the final pages. Healy's debut is good, not-so-clean fun." --Shelf Awareness

"Charming. . . Marvelously anchored in time by Beatles songs spinning on Billie's record player, baseball games on black-and-white TVs, pink rotary phones, and switchboard operators, Etiquette for Lovers and Killers is a nostalgic treat wrapped in the briny ocean breezes of Maine." --New York Journal of Books

"The tension between wealthy families and hard-working townies in a coastal Maine community animates Healy's fiercely witty debut. . . The sparkling dialogue, copious twists, and evocative details of midcentury New England make this an impressive first effort." --Publishers Weekly

"Replete with Emily Post-style epigraphs about etiquette, this hybrid mystery/romance hearkens back to Austen's novels of refined drawing room intrigue while revealing, beneath smiles and witty banter, the underside of human nature. A romantic suspense novel bubbling with wit and the ever-present thrill of danger." --Kirkus Reviews

"[A] witty first novel . . . Readers will be surprised by the twists and turns." --Library Journal

"Sparkles with snazzy dialogue, vibrant characters, and clever period details." --Booklist

"Wonderfully witty, bracingly irreverent and strangely seductive, Etiquette for Lovers and Killers is a dry martini twist on the murder mystery. Billie is a scandalous heroine who sets a new bar for female investigators--her journey from side character to lead is deliciously naughty." --Beth Morrey, author of Isabella's Not Dead

"Etiquette For Lovers and Killers is twisted in the best possible way. Booklover Billie enters the world of the 'summer people' in 1964 coastal Maine only to discover that beneath the white linen and silver trays lie some very impolite secrets. Full of cocktails, murder, and cheeky fun." --Christina Lynch, author of Pony Confidential

"Biting, bubbly, and addictive--Etiquette for Lovers and Killers is a crisp glass of champagne overflowing in a vintage coupe." --Joan O'Leary, author of forthcoming A Killer Wedding

About the Author

Anna Fitzgerald Healy grew up on the Maine coast. She studied at Emerson College. Now she works in Los Angeles, living in a (possibly haunted) miniature castle in the Hollywood Hills. Her writing has been featured in several literary magazines and short story anthologies. Etiquette for Lovers and Killers is her debut novel, best paired with a cheese plate and a spritz.