When Lisa Bancroft, a bestselling romance novelist, arrives at the flagship Harrinton's bookstore in Union Square for a highly anticipated signing, she finds herself caught in more than the usual whirlwind of celebrity adoration. As her latest book, The Enigma of Her, is being devoured by the public, she begins to realize that the same people who helped propel her to fame—her ruthless publisher, the power-hungry CEO Charles Avery —might be playing a deadly game of manipulation, betrayal, and deceit.
Things take a dangerous turn when a shocking murder occurs during the event, and the detectives find themselves in a locked office with a handful of suspects who each have something to gain, or lose, from this dastardly crime. A storm brews among the staff: a disillusioned designer, a corporate rival, an environmentalist, an overworked secretary, and a relentless journalist, each with their grudges against the charismatic but corrupt CEO. Charles had made enemies not just within the halls of Harrington's but at home as well. Everyone has a motive, but everyone has an alibi. Deadly Bookstore weaves together the high-stakes world of publishing, the cutthroat nature of the bookstore industry, and the tense isolation of a locked room mystery. It is a story about how far people will go to maintain control, and what happens when the line between personal and professional becomes blurred beyond recognition.
