Hello from St. Louis, Missouri. I’m Kat Waters. You might have recently seen my family mentioned in the papers connected with some mafia misfortune.

Let me start off by expressing my gratitude for the outpouring of support shown to us since my grandmother, Grand’s, abduction. We particularly appreciate all the Stand with Grand t-shirts we’ve seen at the protest against her boyfriend Claude’s recent incarceration. The love of the Grand Groupies has really worked its magic on Grand’s spirits. She’s already started a Slammer Jammer, (incarceration scrapbook) to aide in proving Claude’s innocence. A study from the Urban Institute estimated that thirteen percent of all arrests result in wrongful conviction, and you can be assured that we’ll keep fighting for both Claude and my father.

As you can imagine, since the police have taken possession of all of our assets, my daily life has changed quite a bit. Where my days in Boston used to start with yoga with Master Tahkaswami, my spiritual advisor, followed by Sfogliatelle pastry from Marie’s before I headed into the museum for work, they now begin with an at-home beauty treatment and stretching in Forrest Park before I head to the county morgue, my new employer.

The one staple between my past and former routines is Maybell, my beloved potbellied piggy princess. We always go for a walk in the morning and share some quiet time. Of course, I now have Grand in tow as well. Since she’s had to leave her assisted living center, she doesn’t like to be left alone.

If we need money on any given day, I’ll stop off at Queen Mothers, the drag club, and sell off a pair of my cherished shoe collection before heading to the morgue. At first, working in a morgue was a bit of a culture shock. Blood. Gore. Time clocks. People who thought wine from a box was a wonder. Now that I’m more acclimated, I take pride in knowing that my skill as two-time winner of best makeup in the Miss Missouri contest, coupled with my minor in biology from Harvard, can help a family gain closure for their loved one. I have had to create shoe booties specifically for my high heels and we did recently make over the morgue to add a coffee bar. So I’m adjusting.

The morgue is also where I met my best friend, DC. When we’re not on shift, we’re usually hanging out, him working on his plants and me working on my dad’s case. I don’t think I could have managed through this life transition without him. DC’s flair for the dramatic always cheers me up. We’re bibliophile soul mates and his As-Seen-On-TV collection came in quite handy in our recent search for a body snatcher.

The newest fixture in my daily routine is my time spent at McPhee Security. It’s headed by Burn’s McPhee, ex-Special Forces soldier and all around hunky pain in the rump. We’ve been trying to sort out how the murder of his news-reporter, best friend might be connected to the wrongful imprisonment of my father. While hunting for the morgue’s missing body that was snatched by a serial killer, we stumbled on a possible connection between our cases. So we’ve been running down leads, hoping to give us both some peace of mind.

Along with his broody attitude and trust issues, Burns also has a state of the art facility that’s a perfect base for hunting clues and comes with a helpful crew. Neutron is his geeky hacker wiz kid, and Flynn his muscle. Not that Burns needs extra muscles. But that’s a topic for another day.

For now, I have to figure out how to tell him that the head of the St. Louis Italian mob has left a dead body in a chest freezer in my apartment, along with a lovely engraved invitation for lunch. Grand’s thrilled to have the extra freezer space. Once we ditch the body, we can now start buying bulk. I’m guessing, though, that Burns won’t share her joy.

You can read more about Kat’s life in The Corpse Wore Stilettos, the first book in the “Sharp Dressed Corpse” cozy mystery series, released April 30, 2019.

SHE WORE A DONNA KARAN MARKED FOR REPOSSESSION
Since Kat Waters’s father took a trip to the slammer on what she’s sure are trumped-up racketeering charges, life’s been tough. All their assets are frozen, and she’s down to the last few pairs of Jimmy Choos she can swap for rent. To keep her family out of the homeless shelter, the former socialite took a job at the local morgue—a job she’s about to lose when the body of a murder victim goes missing on her watch.

HE WORE A CAPTIVATING SMILE
While Kat’s processing the latest victim in the prostitute serial killings, ex-Special Forces soldier Burns McPhee strolls in with an air of confidence, expecting access to the Jane Doe. While Burns tries to flirt his way into examining the latest victim, whom he thinks is connected to the death of his best friend, someone else steals the body right out from under them.

THE CORPSE WORE STILETTOS
Dodging questions from the cops and kidnapping attempts from a body-snatching psycho, Kat and Burns forge a deal. He’ll clear her name and keep her safe if she gets him information on her peculiar coworkers, one of whom he’s certain is involved with the body heist. But digging up secrets can lead to a lower life expectancy. The unlikely team will need all their talents not to end up as the morgue’s next clients while they hunt for a murderer, the missing corpse, and a pair of diamond-studded stilettos.

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Meet the author
As the owner of a boutique chocolate factory in Atlanta, MJ O’Neill loves to write lighthearted, romantic mysteries with a sweet twist. She has a degree in business communications from North Carolina State University. When she’s not spinning a sweet yarn or creating delicious confections, she spends time with her husband, their kids, a hyperactive cocker spaniel named Devo (after the band), a princess tabby cat named Twilight (before the book stole her name) and a collection of stray fish. The whole gang can be found tooling around the back roads of the South in their RV where MJ uses the downtime to hatch her next sweet plot.

To learn more about MJ, visit her website at mjoneillauthor.com. She is also on social media: on Facebook, on Twitter, on Instagram, on BookBub, and on Goodreads.

All comments are welcomed.