A Twinkle of Trouble

Carmel-by-the-Sea garden shop owner Courtney Kelly sees things others can't-like fairies, and hidden motives for murder . . .
Courtney is delighted when her tiny friend Fiona returns from the fairy realm, appearing at the base of a Cypress tree. When her Ragdoll cat, Pixie, emerges from her own portal-aka the cat door-the three set off for a busy day. Busier than usual, since Courtney has rented a small plot of land at the Flower Farm, where she hopes to grow her own supplies for her fairy-garden business. Plus, the annual Summer Blooms Festival is coming up, and Courtney has booked a booth . . .
But the murder of Courtney's friend, Genevieve, casts a pall over the festival. Ever since Genevieve sold her floral business, she'd been building a career as an influencer. She was perennially opinionated-but in her new role she'd become surprisingly vicious, dissing local entrepreneurs with nasty posts and unwarranted bad reviews. That's landed a couple of Courtney's other friends on the suspect list-including Flower Farm owner Daphne Flores. And when a second victim is discovered, seeds of doubt about Daphne's innocence sprout in Courtney's mind. With only a germ of a clue, Courtney will have to overturn every rock to get the dirt on the real killer . . .

Daryl Wood Gerber