Gimme Shelter - (A Layla Virtue Mystery) by Libby Klein (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

This whip-smart, witty series packs an emotional punch within an engaging mystery as Layla Virtue, a 30-something recovering alcoholic and former cop turned party musician, finds a sideline in solving murders from her new home in a Potomac County trailer park...

An unforgettable mystery brimming with hilarity and heart for readers of Margot Douaihy, Jane Pek, and Darynda Jones.

As the song says, you can't always get what you want. Maybe that's why, instead of fulfilling her youthful dream of being a rock star, Layla Fortune is living in a trailer park while playing third-rate gigs, including a stint at a ʼ70s Abba brunch. Given everything else she's been through lately, she's not complaining (much) about satin ruffles and go-go boots. She has a squad of supportive new BFFs, and she's reclaimed a relationship with her famous rocker dad. His recent diagnosis has brought them even closer--sharing the trailer park's lake house, which he's had remodeled in typically over-the-top style.

Layla's dad loves his new community and the feeling seems mutual. So, why is one of them blackmailing him? It's a mystery almost as baffling as the assignment Layla receives from her former Commissioner: look into the brutal murder of a mild-mannered school teacher. Archie Wilkins was bludgeoned with a candelabra, shot up with drugs, and stuffed into a church confessional. Not the kind of outcome expected for a guy reputed to be the world's nicest.

Perhaps Archie had secrets. Perhaps everyone does, including Layla's one-time cop colleagues. She's been blaming herself for a deadly ambush that destroyed her career and her peace of mind, but as her new friends help Layla regain her memories, a different picture emerges, and it's one that forces her to question so much that she's taken as truth . . .

Review Quotes

Praise for VICE AND VIRTUE by Libby Klein

"This perfect combination of mystery, humor, and romance explores serious social problems." --Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW

"Layla is a lovably flawed, three-dimensional protagonist, and her sardonic humor will happily remind readers of Kinky Friedman...This is a winner."--Publishers Weekly

"Expect a dose of sharp-edged sarcasm that feels like a bracing spritz of lemon on a traditionally sweet genre." --AARP Online

About the Author

Libby Klein is author of the Vice and Virtue series and the Poppy McAllister mysteries. A member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and the Women's Fiction Writers Association, she writes out of her Northern Virginia home with her sweet black Lab named Vader, and a very naughty Persian named Miss Eliza Doolittle. Visit her online at LibbyKleinBooks.com.