"Who does the skull belong to?"

Aurora "Roe" Teagarden has to go to two weddings and a funeral in the span of a few months. One wedding is of a former lover's, and the other is her mother's. The funeral is for Jane Engle, a member of the disbanded crime discussion group.

Roe is surprised to learn that Jane has left her money, jewelry, and her house. It's a substantial estate. When Roe uncovers a skull hidden in a window seat, she knows Jane purposely left her everything so she would solve the murder. As she gets to know her new neighbors, she discovers there are a few people who went missing and wonders if one of them belongs to the skull. Along with that, she begins to wonder who murdered the victim.

Add to that a new boyfriend and getting used to the wealth, a house, and pets, Roe is kept quite busy while trying to discover the identity of the victim and killer. Can she do so without putting herself in any danger?

I love this series. Roe is such a fun character. I found myself not wanting to put the book down 'til it was done. I like the small-town setting and the various neighbors in this book. The plot was well written and had plenty of red herrings and twists to keep me wondering right up to the end.

I highly recommend this book.

Reviewed by Dawn Dowdle
Courtesy Mystery Lovers Corner
Posted August 21, 2008

Originally published in December 1993.

Summary

Death comes calling on a small-town librarian whose life is passing her by.

Aurora "Roe" Teagarden's fortunes change when a deceased acquaintance names her as heir to a rather substantial estate, including money, jewelry, and a house complete with a skull hidden in a window seat. Roe concludes that the elderly women has purposely left her a murder to solve. So she must identify the victim and figure out which one of her new, ordinary-seeming neighbors is a murderer—without putting herself in deadly danger.