National bestselling author Kathleen Bridge presents a delightful new series set on a barrier island where waves meet sand—and mayhem meets murder . . .   The Indialantic by the Sea hotel has a hundred-year-old history on beautiful Melbourne Beach, Florida, and more than a few guests seem to have been there from the start. When Liz Holt returns home after an intense decade in New York, she’s happy to be surrounded by the eccentric clientele and loving relatives that populate her family-run inn, and doubly pleased to see the business is staying afloat thanks to its vibrant shopping emporium and a few very wealthy patrons.   But that patronage decreases by one when a filthy rich guest is discovered dead in her oceanfront suite. Maybe this is simply a jewel theft gone wrong, but maybe someone—or many people—wanted the hotel’s prosperous guest dead. Only one thing is sure: there’s a killer at the Indialantic, and if Liz lets herself be distracted—by her troubled past or the tempting man who seems eager to dredge it back up—the next reservation she’ll book could be at the cemetery . . .   Praise for Kathleen Bridge “A delightful sneak peek into life in the Hamptons, with intricate plotting and a likeable, down-to-earth protagonist. A promising start to a promising series.” — Suspense Magazine on Better Homes and Corpses “The descriptions of furniture and other antiques, as well as juicy tidbits on the Hamptons, make for entertaining reading for those who enjoy both antiques and lifestyles of the rich and famous.” — Booklist on Better Homes and Corpses   “ Ghostal Living is a marvelously entertaining tale of revenge, murder, quirky characters—and disappearing books! With a clever protagonist, wonderful details of life in the Hamptons, and plot twists on top of plot twists, Kathleen Bridge will have mystery readers clamoring for more.” —Kate Carlisle, New York Times bestselling author Kathleen Bridge  is the author of the By the Sea Mystery series and the Hamptons Home and Garden Mystery series, published by Berkley. She started her writing career working at The Michigan State University News in East Lansing, Michigan. A member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America, she is also the author and photographer of an antiques reference guide, Lithographed Paper Toys, Books, and Games . She teaches creative writing in addition to working as an antiques and vintage dealer in Melbourne, Florida. Kathleen blissfully lives on a barrier island with her husband, dog, and cat. Readers can visit her on the web at www.kathleenbridge.com Death by the Sea A By the Sea Mystery By Kathleen Bridge KENSINGTON PUBLISHING CORP. Copyright © 2018 Kathleen Bridge All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-5161-0523-6 CHAPTER 1 "I curse you, Barnabas! May your undeath haunt you through all eternity. I'd rather die a mortal than live year to year preying on innocent blood, watching those I love buried in hallowed ground. You will not take me with you!" She jerked the knife toward her chest and fell to the floor. After a few beats, Aunt Amelia opened her eyes, cracked a smile, then pulled herself up with the help of a sturdy piano bench. For a minute, Liz feared her eighty-year-old great-aunt had fractured a hip. "Bravo! Bravo!" Barnacle Bob called out. Liz applauded. Her great-aunt performed a deep bow, the tip of her bright red I Dream of Jeannie ponytail grazing the threadbare Persian carpet. When she stood, her sea-green eyes gleamed under black liner that extended from the corners of her eyes in true sixties style. "Enough theatrics," Aunt Amelia said, adding a schoolgirl giggle. "I must talk to Pierre about dinner." She wrapped a neon-pink scarf around her neck, kissed Liz on the top of the head, and exited the music room. Amelia Eden Holt, Liz's favorite — and only — greataunt, had starred in three seasons of the 1960s vampire-themed television soap drama, Dark Shadows. "Starred" might be an exaggeration, because she'd only had a small part as a Collinwood maid. However, that was what Liz loved about her paternal great-aunt; she was bigger than life and more colorful than the tail feathers on Barnacle Bob, Aunt Amelia's thirty-year-old macaw. "Drama queen ... Showboater ... Diva," Bob squawked. Her great-aunt adored Barnacle Bob. Liz just hoped Aunt Amelia never heard the parrot's two-faced comments. "Hush, BB, that's not nice." Liz took a seat next to his cage, inhaling Aunt Amelia's signature scent, L'air du Temps. When Liz was five, after her mother passed away, she and her father came to live with Aunt Amelia in the old family-run hotel. At one time, the Indialantic by the Sea Hotel was Melbourne Beach, Florida's premier ocean-front resort. Unfortunately, the monikers "premier" and "resort" no longer held true. The Indialantic sat on a barrier island sandwiched between the Indian River Lagoon to the west and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Last fall, Liz's father invested a sizab