St. Michael's College, Cambridge, is prestigious, stately-and in frightful disrepair. To replenish its dwindling coffers, the College's Master holds a fundraising weekend for wealthy alums. But all goes awry when the glamorous-and despised-Lexy Laurant is found strangled on the grounds. There's a lengthy list of likely suspects: Lexy's debt-ridden Latino lover, her titled ex-husband who left her for another woman, and a garrulous oil-rich Texan with something to hide, among others. As Detective Chief Inspector St. Just weighs clashing egos, he discovers unsavory secrets . . . and a most shocking twist.

Finalist for 2009 Anthony and Macavity Awards

Chosen by Kirkus Reviews as a Best Book of 2008

(Death of a Cozy Writer)

[red star] "Malliet's satirical take on the mystery scene is spot-on."

-Publishers Weekly (starred review)

[red star] "A real find for old-school mystery fans."

-Booklist (starred review)

"An absolutely delicious skewering of the world of mystery publishing and its none-too-savory denizens, Death and the Lit Chick is even wittier and more skillfully constructed than her Agatha Award-winning Death of a Cozy Writer."

-Denver Post