Looking at the dead woman draped over a Mercedes-Benz G-class shiny black steering wheel didn’t freak me out; I’m related to Cassandra Harrigan, the only female mortician in Portneuf Gap, Idaho.
But another murder at my apartment complex had my anxiety meter soaring like the wicked July temperatures. Soon only ghouls and necromancers would answer my rental ads. Sounds cold, I know, so let me start at the beginning while all the details are as clearly etched in my mind as dates on a tombstone.
Never Nap in a Casket: A Never Mystery, Book 2
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release: January 2025
Format: Print, Digital
Purchase Link
Cary Grant Harrigan is a wanted man. Wanted for questioning by the Portneuf Gap Police Department about the bizarre murder of his fiancé. Wanted by the FBI regarding a couple of paintings in his possession which are either stolen originals or fabulous fakes. But Harrigan is MIA and sister/sleuth Sadie Harrigan wants to find him first before the get-rich-quick-scheme he’s involved in has him exchanging his surfer wetsuit for a prison jump suit.
Cary and fiancé Frobi Fisher arrive in Portneuf Gap, Idaho hoping to sell his mortician grandmother on ordering caskets from their internet company. But before they can seal the deal Frobi’s body is discovered behind the wheel of their rental car, maked and enshrouded in gold paint. Sadie’s frantic search for her brother is repeatedly impeded by her best friend’s reluctance to help, by a determined ghost buster duo, and one stalker fan who insists his favorite primetime cooking diva is holed up in one of Sadie’s apartments. Eccentric mother, Willie, jets from L.A., adding more hindrance than assistance.
Throw in dire threats from someone anonymous demanding Frobi’s missing laptop be returned and Sadie’s not sure she can save Cary, or herself, from this grave situation.
Meet the author
I’m J.W. Hodge and I grew up spending time in my grandmother’s funeral home, now I’m the author of cozy mysteries full of humor, heart, and dachshunds. My 2nd novel, Never Nap in A Casket, will debut this coming January. Check out my 1st novel in the series, Never Touch a Dead Body.