A Very Merry Murder

It's almost holiday time in Copper Bluff, South Dakota, and Em is looking forward to university-sponsored holiday concert. In A Very Merry Murder by Mary Angela, Professor Em Prather accompanies her friend and colleague Lenny Jenkins to a reception for the Jazz Underground.

At the B&B where the quartet is staying, Em encounters one of the musicians alone in the front parlor, Miles Jamieson, the leader of the group is Lenny's mentor, although he doesn't appear to be a nice person. He makes an unwanted pass at Em and as he tries to draw her to him, she pushes him away. He stumbles into a table then lands flat on his back on the floor. When he seems to have stopped breathing, Em and Lenny dive in to perform CPR, but to no avail.

When grad student Kim blames Em for killing Miles, she is shocked. She knows she didn't push him hard enough to cause him to strike his head, but the police want a closer look at the circumstances. To Em, it seemed as if Miles was on some type of drug. 

The police investigation shows no drugs in his system, but no cause of death could be determined. This does not sit well with Em and she decides it's time for her to get involved.  Speaking of getting involved, it appears Em and Lenny are taking baby steps towards a relationship. 

Another carefully woven plot by Mary Angela with a tip of the hat to Agatha Christie. 

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