Stella: All we wanted was to see our best friends, Alma and Mills, get married.

Nick: And to escape the five-degree temperatures back in Vermont.

Stella: I admit, that’s certainly a perk of Alma and Mills getting married in Playa del Carmen, but –

Nick: Oh, and to drink margaritas by the pool.

Stella: Ahem . . . margaritas are nice, but we would have followed our friends anywhere so we could support them on their special day. Being one half of a private wedding party of four is an incredible honor.

Nick: It doesn’t hurt that the resort we’re staying at is terrific, too. Right on the beach, great pool, and the casitas – the guest houses – are downright luxurious.

Stella: Except for the hat we found in our closet.

Nick: Yeah, the hat was a little creepy. Turns out it belonged to the man who stayed in our casita prior to us, which reflects poorly on the housekeeping staff, but is otherwise okay.

Stella: Or would have been okay, except that we soon discovered that the reason the owner of the hat was no longer staying in our casita was because he was dead. Suddenly and unexpectedly dead.

Nick: The reverend was up there in years, honey.

Stella: True, but the timing is a little too coincidental for my liking, because now, Georgina Early – another guest – is also dead. We found her in her poolside lounge chair, apparently the victim of an overdose. That’s two deaths in a week and our resort only accommodates twenty people.

Nick: So, Stella thinks the situation is suspicious.

Stella: No one liked Georgina. She was a horrible person.

Nick: There was definitely a vibe between her and the other guests during our communal dinners.

Stella: A vibe? Georgina spread stories about everyone, including the manager of the resort. She seemed to know the details of everyone’s lives. I’d say that’s a pretty strong motive for murder.

Nick: It is, but you promised Alma and Mills there would be no detective work during their wedding getaway.

Stella: That’s why we went to the police.

Nick: But you’re still investigating.

Stella: No, I’m not. It just so happens that because I’m staying at the resort, I’m in a position to watch the suspects, er, other guests better than the police can and there’s been some suspicious behavior.

Nick: Like the dancing gigolos.

Stella: Just because they’re a bunch of handsome young men, doesn’t mean that they’re-

Nick: Oh, come on, Stella.

Stella: Okay. There is something weird about those dancers and how they draw a flock of middle-aged well-heeled women to their show every night.

Nick: I think we know how they draw the women. The real question is are they actually giving the dancing lessons they claim? Or is there something more to their hip-swiveling?

Stella: Then there’s the mysterious shadowy figure I saw sneaking past Georgina’s casita in the middle of the night. Was it a burglar? A trespasser? All I could make out were a hooded sweatshirt and a pair of reflective sneakers.

Nick: Anyway, as you can see, we’re not relaxing much on this vacation.

Stella: We aren’t, but we both agreed that we want this case wrapped up before the shadow of Georgina’s death ruins Alma and Mills’ wedding.

Nick: We did. I just hope that protecting their wedding is worth us risking death.

Stella: Death? Oh, honey, *laughing* I doubt things would ever get that far.

Foul Play in La Playa – A Vermont Country Living Mystery, Book 4
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release: June 2025
Format: Print, Digital
Purchase Link

When Stella and Nick join their friends for a wedding getaway in Mexico, it seems like every day is Day of the Dead . . .

When their two closest friends take off for Mexico to get married, Stella and Nick gladly head south of the border to help them celebrate. It’s been brutally cold back in Vermont, and the small resort they’re staying at is a sun-drenched paradise. But then they learn that the previous occupant of their bungalow died mysteriously, and not long after that another guest turns up dead. Suddenly all their hopes for a tropical escape from winter—and murder—melt away when they get dragged into the investigation.

Stella soon discovers that the victim, a loud and spiteful woman, had alienated herself from all of the other guests. She also had an uncanny knack for uncovering compromising details about people, and it becomes clear that virtually everyone at the resort has something to hide. With too many suspects and a murderer in their midst, Stella and Nick have to work quickly to figure out which of the guests had a secret worth killing for—before the killer decides to put them down for a permanent siesta . . .

About the author
Author of the critically acclaimed Marjorie McClelland Mysteries, Vermont Country Living Mysteries, and Tish Tarragon Mysteries, Amy Patricia Meade is a native of Long Island, New York, where she cut her teeth on classic films and books featuring Nancy Drew and Encyclopedia Brown. After serving as a technical writer for a management coaching firm and composing catalog copy for the Vermont Country Store, Amy relocated to southwest England, where she was a featured author at Agatha Christie’s Annual Greenway Literary Festival. Amy now resides in Upstate New York with her musician husband and her two cats, and serves as Vice President of the Upper Hudson Chapter of Sisters in Crime.