THE DIVA GOES OVERBOARD

A wedding curtailed by the groom’s death spurs further study by the unexpected new owner of his Alexandria, Virginia, antique store.

Wedding bells are ringing for Wanda Smith—the mother of domestic diva Sophie Winston’s longtime frenemy, Natasha—and her unlikely beau, Orson Chatsworth. While Sophie, an accomplished event planner, is focused on the short timeline until the nuptials, Natasha takes it personally that her mother will have been married twice before she’s found even a single husband. As an older couple, Wanda and Orson are determined to have things squared away as soon as possible, so Natasha’s putting pressure on Sophie to plan a party. As luck would have it, Orson’s daughter, Stella Chatsworth St. James, runs a charcuterie board business, designing elaborate thematic boards that would be a perfect fit for a catered affair. (Corresponding tips from Sophie and Natasha preface each chapter.) No sooner are all the residents of Alexandria’s Old Town neighborhood congratulating the happy couple, though, than Orson chokes and keels over in the middle of the reception. In his last breath, he begs Sophie to “Tell Stella…,” but that’s as far as he gets. The mystery is compounded when the family learns that Orson left his antiques boutique to Sophie. Since she and Orson were only acquaintances, she’s certain there must be some deeper logic at play, but the more she looks into Orson’s past, the more confused she gets, and her investigation seems to be going nowhere. When a police report reveals that Orson’s been poisoned, Sophie’s all the more determined to find the culprit, and the truth.

This unevenly paced mystery takes a while to heat up.