Val McDermid: Booked for Murder (USA 2005)

From the Publisher:
Why would anyone want to kill Penny Varnavides, bestselling author of the 'Teen Dreams' series? Her demise can't be the freak accident it first appeared -- it's an exact replica of the murder method in her forthcoming book. Only three people knew the plot of Penny's unpublished novel: her literary agent, her editor and her ex-girlfriend Meredith.

In an effort to clear Meredith, Lindsay Gordon delves beneath the glittering facade of the seemingly glamorous world of London publishing in search of a murderer. While hobnobbing with industry notables, Lindsay encounters an unsavoury mix of soured relationships, desperate power plays, underhanded fraud, and seething rivalries. Who, amongst this sordid group, wanted Penny Varnavides dead?

Val McDermid: Booked for Murder. A Lindsay Gordon Mystery. Bywater Books, ISBN 1932859101 (September, 2005), 224 p., $12.95.

V.L. McDermid: Booked for Murder (UK 2005)

From the Publisher:
Lindsay Gordon investigates the murder of a bestselling author and discovers that, beneath the glittering facade, the London publishing world is a hotbed of seething rivalries, soured relationships and desperate power plays. Fifth in the series. Why would anyone want to kill Penny Varnavides, bestselling author of the 'Teen Dreams' series? Her demise can't be the freak accident it first appeared -- it's an exact replica of the murder method in her forthcoming book. Only three people knew the plot of Penny's unpublished novel: her literary agent, her editor and her ex-girlfriend Meredith. In an effort to clear Meredith, Lindsay Gordon delves beneath the glittering facade of the seemingly glamorous world of London publishing in search of a murderer. While hobnobbing with industry notables, Lindsay encounters an unsavoury mix of soured relationships, desperate power plays, underhanded fraud, and seething rivalries. Who, amongst this sordid group, wanted Penny Varnavides dead?

V.L. McDermid: Booked for Murder. A Lindsay Gordon Mystery. HarperCollins, ISBN 0007191782 (January, 2005), 327 p., £6.99.

Val McDermid: Booked for Murder (USA 2000)

From the Publisher:
Why would anyone want to kill bestselling author Penny Varnavides? Her demise can't be the freak accident it first appeared to be: it is an exact replica of the unique murder method employed in her forthcoming novel. Only three people seemed to know the details of this unpublished book-her literary agent, her editor, and her ex-girlfriend. Meredith. Who stood to gain the most from Penny's death? Did anyone else know about this unusual plot device?

In an effort to clear her friend Meredith's name, Lindsay Gordon delves beneath the glittering façade of the high-powered, seemingly glamorous world of London publishing in search of a murderer. While hobnobbing with industry notables, Lindsay encounters an unsavory mix of soured relationships, desperate power plays, underhanded fraud, and seething rivalries. Who, amongst this sordid group, wanted Penny Varnavides dead? And will she or he strike again if Lindsay ventures too close?

Val McDermid: Booked for Murder. The Fifth Lindsay Gordon Mystery. Spinster's Ink, ISBN 1883523370 (May, 2000), 260 p., $12.00.

Val McDermid: Booked for Murder (UK 1997)

From the Publisher:
'Murder, she felt fairly sure, was not the kind of "Purpose of Visit" calculated to speed her through immigration.' Why would anyone want to kill Penny Varnavides, bestselling author of the "Teen Dreams" series?

It couldn't have been the freak accident it first appeared -- Penny's death was an exact replica of the murder method in her forthcoming book. Apart from Penny, only three people knew the plot: her literary agent, her editor and her ex-girlfriend Meredith.

In tribute to her friendship with Penny, Lindsay Gordon agrees to investigate. Reluctantly she leaves her Californian haven for the fraught world of London book publishing. And as her investigation reveals an incendiary mixture of soured relationships and seething rivalries, Lindsay must face the frightening truth. Someone in Penny's literary or love life must have been driven to murder...

Val McDermid: Booked for Murder. The Fifth Lindsay Gordon Mystery. The Women's Press, ISBN 0704345013 (August, 1997), 229 p., £5.99.