From USA Today and Seattle Times bestselling author Mary Daheim comes the newest Pacific Northwest crime novel starring the indefatigable newspaper editor-publisher Emma Lord. THE ALPINE OBITUARY Not even in Alpine, Washington, could the death of octogenarian Jack Froland be considered big news—except by his drinking buddies at Mugs Ahoy. But that suddenly changes when in the middle of his funeral, Jack’s widow hysterically insists that he was murdered. Emma Lord, publisher of The Alpine Advocate , who is already investigating a threatening letter received by the town’s beautiful blonde judge, now suspects she has two hot stories to unravel. Backed by her House and Home editor, that bottomless repository of scandal, Vida Runkel, she prepares for a triple-threat special: murder, blackmail, and—as wildfire sweeps the mountainside—possible arson as well. But success will not come cheap. With a killer roaming the woods, it may cost Emma her life. . . . In The Alpine Obituary Mary Daheim demonstrates once again why she is a nationally bestselling author acclaimed for her “smoothly readable style” ( Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine ) and her “witty one-liners and amusing characterizations” ( Publishers Weekly ). “Mary Daheim writes with wit, wisdom, and a big heart. I love her books.” —CAROLYN HART “The characters are great, and the plots always attention-getting.” —King Features Syndicate “Mary Daheim is one of the brightest stars in our city’s literary constellation.” —The Seattle Times From USA Today and Seattle Times bestselling author Mary Daheim comes the newest Pacific Northwest crime novel starring the indefatigable newspaper editor-publisher Emma Lord. THE ALPINE OBITUARY Not even in Alpine, Washington, could the death of octogenarian Jack Froland be considered big news except by his drinking buddies at Mugs Ahoy. But that suddenly changes when in the middle of his funeral, Jack s widow hysterically insists that he was murdered. Emma Lord, publisher of The Alpine Advocate , who is already investigating a threatening letter received by the town s beautiful blonde judge, now suspects she has two hot stories to unravel. Backed by her House and Home editor, that bottomless repository of scandal, Vida Runkel, she prepares for a triple-threat special: murder, blackmail, and as wildfire sweeps the mountainside possible arson as well. But success will not come cheap. With a killer roaming the woods, it may cost Emma her life. . . . In The Alpine Obituary Mary Daheim demonstrates once again why she is a nationally bestselling author acclaimed for her smoothly readable style ( Ellery Queen s Mystery Magazine ) and her witty one-liners and amusing characterizations ( Publishers Weekly ). “Mary Daheim writes with wit, wisdom, and a big heart. I love her books.” —CAROLYN HART “The characters are great, and the plots always attention-getting.” —King Features Syndicate “Mary Daheim is one of the brightest stars in our city’s literary constellation.” —The Seattle Times Mary Daheim is a Seattle native who has been a reporter, an editor, and a public relations consultant. She started writing at the age of eight—the launch of a career that is now distinguished by more than twenty-five published novels. The Alpine Obituary is the fifteenth novel in her Emma Lord series—the direct sequel to The Alpine Nemesis . The author still lives in Seattle and is married to David Daheim, a professor of cinema, English, and literature. The Daheims have three daughters: Barbara, Katherine, and Magdalen. Mary Daheim is a member of the Authors Guild and Mystery Writers of America. In 2000, she won the Literary Achievement Award from the Pacific Northwest Writers Association. Chapter One Tuesday, nine-fifteen a.m., publication day for The Alpine Advocate. Coffee and a croissant smeared with boysenberry jam. A quiet September morning with the sun filtering through the small window above my desk. Quiet, that is, until my House & Home editor's hat fell off. She jumped from her chair, ignored the hat, snatched up a couple of sheets of paper, and stomped across the newsroom into my office. "I've never seen the like," Vida Runkel huffed, slapping the handwritten sheets on my desk. "Believe me, I've seen my share of outrageous obituaries during my years with the Advocate, but this one beats all." She crossed her arms over her imposing bust and tapped an agitated foot. As the weekly newspaper's editor and publisher for the past eleven years, I'd printed some real pips, including leads that read paddle your own canoe, arlo, georgie-porgie's eating heaven's pudding and pie, and agatha left her piano to her niece, but took her organs with her. I began to read out loud. "John (Jack) Augustus Froland died Monday night (Labor Day) at home in Alpine after a long illness. Jack, as he was known and loved by all, had turned 80 years young last month. Born Aug. 12, 1920, right here in Alpine, Jack was the son