No Saving Throw

Autumn Sinclair, the 30ish narrator of McFarland’s enjoyable debut and series launch, owns Ten Again, a successful gaming store in White Lake, Wis. Autumn is hopeful that she’ll win a grant to fund the greening of Independence Square Mall, where Ten Again is located. On the night of a gaming event she’s running, one of the participants, Wes Bowen, is found dead in the mall’s basement, having fallen from a balcony with wounds on his neck that look like vampire bites. Suspicion immediately falls on the gamers. Autumn’s reputation, her shop’s existence, and the acceptance of her grant are now in jeopardy. With the help of loyal employees and other supporters, she sets out to solve the murder and get justice for Wes. Along the way, she butts heads with Meghan Kountz, her high school nemesis, who owns a chic boutique in the mall and is competing for the same grant. That Meghan slept with Autumn’s boyfriend when they were 18 and is now engaged to him adds to the tension. Readers will hope to see a lot more of the plucky Autumn. Agent: Lisa Rodgers, Jabberwocky Literary. (May)