Coaching Fire: A Cat and Gilley Life Coach Mystery

Laurie’s fizzy fifth cozy featuring Hamptons life coach Cat Cooper (after 2022’s Coached Red-Handed) sees Cat and her best friend, Gilley Gillespie, investigating the murder of a costume designer. After literally running away from her boyfriend’s marriage proposal, Cat seeks the support of Gilley in Texas, where he’s staying with his new boyfriend, Stuart Jacobs. A former Broadway costume designer, Stuart has been hired to create elaborate dresses for the Texas Rose Festival’s queen and her attendants. Not a full day of work passes before Stuart’s assistant designer, Broderick Carmichael, is found dead, and Broderick’s twin sister, Imani, is arrested by the overeager local police, who want to close the case before it threatens the economically vital festival. When Cat and Gilley, convinced of Imani’s innocence, set out to find the real culprit, their digging turns up additional crimes, including the theft of the festival queen’s jewels. The mystery plot sprawls a bit, but series fans who’ve invested in Cat and Gilley’s personal lives will find plenty of juicy developments to savor. This is good fun. Agent: Jim McCarthy, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. (Dec.)