Nothing spoils a party like an uninvited corpse, which is just Lacey Langdon’s luck as she inherits a printing and party-planning business in this letter-perfect debut mystery. After inheriting her mother’s printing and party-planning business, Lacey Langdon moves back to her sleepy hometown of Willow Bluffs, perched on New Jersey’s Palisades. When her great aunt, Tessa Langdon Vander Horn, a well-known and beloved soap opera star, sells her nineteenth-century estate and donates ten acres to the development of a community park, Lacey’s new venture is put at the helm of the opening ceremony. But the festivities quickly come to an end when the body of town councilman Glenn Hartman is found on the bank of the Hudson River. Partnering with her former classmate, lawyer Derek Conover, they dig deep into the case to find out who is behind the murder. Suspicions abound, but Lacey and Derek hit a snag when one of their prime suspects drops dead at Lacey’s next event. With a second body added to the count, tensions rise in Willow Bluffs. Caught in the crossfire when remnants of a family tragedy resurface, Lacey and Derek must act swiftly before another body drops dead. Perfect for readers of Ellie Brannigan and Laurien Berenson, this cozy mystery is a charming small-town read. Praise for Invitation to Murder : “With its beguiling setting and smart, funny characters, Invitation To Murder is a novel you’ll want to crawl into and wrap around you like a blanket. It’s the best cozy mystery I’ve read since Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple series.” —Ash Clifton, Shamus Award Winning author of Twice the Trouble “ Invitation To Murder is chock full of tragic secrets from a wealthy family’s past and present. Floriani masterfully blends the old with the new in this mystery that takes the reader on a journey of unrequited love, greed, and murder.” —Heather Weidner, Author of the Pearly Girls Mysteries and the Jules Keene Glamping Mysteries “Secrets from the past intertwine with murders in the present, creating a story you won't want to put down!” —Ruth J. Hartman, bestselling author of Butterfly Betrayal “Lacey Langdon, a novice event planner, teams up with a lawyer friend and a beloved soap opera star, who happens to be her great aunt, to solve the murder of a town councilman in sleepy Willow Bluffs. The councilman's body had turned up on the bank of the Hudson River during a groundbreaking ceremony Lacey had planned, abruptly halting the festivities. The sleuths discover more than they bargained for as their net widens. They uncover a land deal gone bad and much more. The intrigue, craftily laced with cozy charm, kept me in suspense all the way to the breathtaking finale. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series!” —Mary Karnes, Author of The Wedding Planner Mystery Series After studying at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid and graduating from Rider University, Carol Floriani worked for many years in the editorial and publicity departments of a Big Five publisher before ultimately embarking on her writing career. In addition to Invitation to Murder , she is the author of two previously published young adult novels. She resides in New Jersey and New York City with her husband, an attorney.