A Hint of Mischief

In Agatha winner Gerber’s captivating third Fairy Garden mystery (after 2021’s A Glimmer of a Clue), socialite Misty Dawn recruits fairy garden specialist Courtney Kelly, owner of Open Your Imagination, a gift shop in Carmel-by-the-Sea, Calif., to host a fairy-themed 40th birthday party for a sorority sister of Misty’s. When one of the party guests, actor Farrah Lawson, goes to A Peaceful Solution Spa for a facial, she winds up berating the spa owner’s daughter, Twyla Waterman, for mistakenly waxing her eyebrows clean off. Farrah warns Twyla to watch her back. When Farrah turns up dead in the place she’s renting, apparently a poisoning victim, the police have questions for Twyla, who was seen in the vicinity not long before the body’s discovery. Intuitive Courtney and her fairy friend, Fiona, are certain Twyla, “who wouldn’t hurt a fly,” is innocent and set out to find the real culprit. Gerber keeps her fanciful tale grounded in the connections between Courtney and the members of her close-knit community. Fairy-themed pastry recipes are a bonus. This delectable otherworldly whodunit is sure to please cozy fans. Agent: John Talbot, Talbot Fortune Agency. (July)