The Serpentine Flower

When Mary Ann Little returns to the Tracks Community Theater for the first time since her husband's untimely onstage death, she is horrified to discover the body of young Sarah Atkins backstage. Mary Ann is convinced that Sarah's death was no accident, but everyone, including the chief of police, seems reluctant to discuss the possibility that someone in small-town Camford Courthouse is a killer. Mary Ann's regrets vocalizing her suspicions when her 19-year-old son emerges as a suspect. To unravel the mystery, Mary Ann goes back to work for Thaddeus Sinclair, the editor of the local paper and a "rumpled skeptic" for whom Mary Ann becomes aware of a growing attraction. It soon becomes clear that this small town near North Carolina's Outer Banks harbors more than its share of secrets. But can Mary Ann uncover those secrets and flush out the killer while juggling her new job, her burgeoning romance, her part-time work at the local library, and the unexpected role of "third witch" in the theater's production of Shakespeare's "Macbeth"? And even more important, can she do it all without getting herself killed?