by Jill Orr
We hung up. In the middle-of-the-night silence of my house, echoes of the devastation I felt the night Granddaddy died clawed at the edges of my mind, trying to scrape their way inside, threatening to paralyze me with fear and anguish. I shut my eyes and squeezed them tight, trying to block them out. This was no time for devastation. This was a time for action.
I picked up my phone to call my father, but then hesitated. He didn’t even know that Flick and I had been looking into Granddaddy’s death. As far as both my parents were concerned, Granddaddy’s official cause of death was suicide, and they were content to accept that explanation in a way I never was. Maybe this would be too much for them—for my dad especially. It had been so painful for him to try to accept that his father had killed himself, but eventually he’d made a certain melancholy peace with it. It didn’t seem fair to upset that peace until I had something concrete to tell him.
I looked at all the names I had in the Favorites section of my contact list, a physical manifestation of who and what I loved in this life. In addition to my parents and the Times main number, there was Ryan, Holman, Flick, Ridley, Tabitha (my former co-worker who was still on her honeymoon in Fiji), Dr. H, Carl Haight, and Jay. I closed my eyes and pressed the phone to my forehead, trying to decide what to do. I needed help, that much was clear. But who could I call? Or maybe the better question was who should I? Time was running out. I had to meet Kay Jackson at the newsroom in less than ten minutes. I stared at my phone for another few moments and then, before I chickened out, I took a deep breath in and pressed the name of the one person I knew would always answer my call.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
As always, a million thanks to my superstar agents, Emma Sweeney and Margaret Sutherland Brown. You guys are the best! A million and four thanks to the incredible, sharp-eyed, and supportive team at Prospect Park Books: Dorie Bailey, Caitlin Ek, and Katelyn Keating, who are led by the indominable Colleen Bates. I still can’t believe my luck that I get to make books with you. I want to thank Susan Olinsky and Nancy Nimoy for another fantastic Riley cover, and my sincerest gratitude to Amy Inouye, Margery Schwartz, and Leilah Bernstein, who all worked so hard to make the book shine.
Thank you to Jon Dyer for sending me the obit for his uncle, who lived generously (the inspiration for the Klondike obituary in the book), to Matt Jenne for talking restaurants with me, to BOTH Julie Ryans for being my rosary consultants, to Shena Latcham for sharing her mad forensic-pathologist knowledge (any mistakes are mine), to Jack Nortman for talking me through the basics of money laundering (from a strictly academic point of view, of course), and to Scott and Cheryl Orr for their indispensable proofreading (and cheerleading) skills.
As ever, so much gratitude to my writing group for the support, with an extra shout-out to Jen Gravely for her eagle-eyed first read, Dr. Ann Breidenbach for allowing me the privilege of visiting her creative writing classes, and my writing touchstone, Laura McHugh, for…well, it’d be impossible to quantify all the ways she’s helped, so I will simply say thanks for everything. #genrebitchezunite
I am fortunate beyond words to have so many girlfriends who celebrate every single milestone with me. Thank, ladies. I appreciate all the love more than you’ll ever know. Thanks also to all the new friends I’ve made in the writing community—here’s to more writing-conference fun in our future (read: more frosé). Special thanks to my sister, Allison Fiutak, and my sister-in-law, Dawn Orr, for pretending not to be bored when I talk about writing. And, of course, thank you to my mom, F.E. Nortman, and my dad, Neal Rosenfeld, for always being there.
Perhaps most importantly, I want to thank my son, Fletcher, my daughter, Ellie, and my husband, Jimmy Orr (who is, fortunately, also the love of my live). Simply put, you guys are my everything everything.
Lastly, the acknowledgments wouldn’t be complete without acknowledging YOU, the reader, for tagging along on Riley’s adventures…and mine.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jill Orr is the author of The Riley Ellison Mysteries. She lives in Columbia, Missouri, with her husband and two children. Learn more at jillorrauthor.com, and follow Jill on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
The Riley Ellison Mystery Series from Prospect Park Books
The Good Byline
Meet Riley Ellison, a smart, quirky young heroine with Southern charm to boot. Riley feels adrift in her small hometown of Tuttle Corner, Virginia, newly single and bemoaning the decline of print journalism, which has dashed her long-held dream of succeeding her grandfather as an obituary writer at the local newspaper. When her childhood best friend commits suicide with no warning, the grieving family asks Riley to write her obituary. As she investigates why such an ambitious young woman might want to end her life, Riley begins to consider that her friend Jordan may have actually been murdered. In the meantime, her love life becomes complicated when her ex Ryan returns to town just as things are heating up with a hot newcomer—who may have had something to do with Jordan’s death.
The Bad Break
Riley Ellison has taken a great leap of faith by giving up her comfortable job at the Tuttle Corner library for the exciting world of print journalism. Except that so far it hasn’t been very exciting. All that changes when Riley’s former co-worker Tabitha finds her soon-to-be father-in-law dead on the floor of his office, and Riley is asked to write his obituary. And when they discover Tabitha’s fiancé’s knife sticking out of his father’s chest, Riley finds herself with a murder investigation to cover as well.
With Holman out on leave and mounting pressure from her boss, the mayor, and a bridezilla facing the possibility of a conjugal visit honeymoon, Riley is desperate to prove she can handle the increasing demands of her new job. Despite warnings from her new boyfriend Jay, Riley blurs the line between reporter and investigator. Will Riley’s rookie mistakes lead to more than just her byline ending up on the obituary page?
The Ugly Truth
There’s been a shocking double murder in Tuttle Corner, Virginia, involving high-profile players from Washington D.C. This brings national attention—and big-city competition for the story—to junior reporter Riley Ellison’s little corner of the world. Beloved café owner Rosalee is the prime suspect in the violent crimes, but she insists on her innocence. In exchange for protection, Rosalee gives Riley and her fellow reporter Holman exclusive information that incriminates a powerful person.
Meanwhile, Personal Romance Concierge™ Regina H. is back, offering once-again-single Riley not just online dating expertise but also a new subscription self-care service that promises such benefits as “the sensation of emotional bravery on a micromolecular level.”
Riley and Holman eventually begin to wonder if Rosalee is telling the truth. They head down separate investigative paths until one of them finds the truth… and one of them finds the killer.
This third installment in the Riley Ellison mystery series is rich with all the suspense, humor, small-town charm, and captivating characters that made the first two books a hit with critics and fans alike.
