Elise Hyatt

Old murder casts long shadows When Dyce Dare decides to refinish a piano as a gift for her boyfriend, Cas Wolfe, the last thing she expects is to stumble on an old letter that provides a clue to an older murder. She thinks her greatest problems in life are that her friend gave her son a toy motorcycle, and that her son has become unaccountably attached to a neurotic black cat named Pythagoras. She is not prepared for forgotten murder to reach out and threaten her and everything she loves, including her parents' mystery bookstore. A Dyce Dare Mystery. Originally published by Prime Crime.

DEAD MAN'S REFINISHSome people find antiques. Dyce Dare finds trouble. Ever tried fishing a Victorian sideboard out of a dumpster only to hook a dead body instead? Welcome to Dyce Dare's life, where nothing goes according to plan-and never has. At six, she wanted to be a ballerina (until gravity repeatedly suggested otherwise). At ten, she dreamed of lion taming (until Fluffy the cat staged a mutiny). Now at twenty-nine, she's just trying to keep her furniture refinishing business afloat so she can upgrade her son's diet from "pancakes" to "anything else, please." But when her latest dumpster dive yields a half-melted corpse instead of salvageable furniture, Dyce reluctantly adds "amateur detective" to her lengthy resume of career failures. Because nothing says "responsible single mom" like poking around a murder investigation, right? Between dodging danger, dealing with her quirky neighbors, and trying not to embarrass herself in front of a certain handsome police officer, Dyce is about to discover that her talent for refinishing furniture might just extend to refinishing crime scenes. Dipped, Stripped and Dead - Sometimes the best way to clean up your life is to solve a murder.(Warning: May contain splinters, sarcasm, and one very determined single mom who definitely didn't plan on any of this.)