After Viv's Desert Doula agency goes bottom up, she's eager to put the work into rebuilding. Unfortunately, Rex Redondo keeps getting in the way. Ever since the pair solved a mystery together, Viv is convinced his only interest in her is as a partner in the private investigator business he's determined to launch. Little does she know, his feelings for her run far deeper than friendship.

Seated side by side at an HOA meeting at the Desert Tortoise Estates, they are stunned when the cops burst in to announce they found a dead body in the community casita.

Rex is eager to launch into an investigation to discover who killed Carmine Nelson while Viv isn't ready to give up on her doula agency. Yet realizing he won't leave her alone until the murder is solved, she takes matters into her own hands.

A chat with the widow.

An invitation to the memorial.

A possible lead to the killer...

Will Viv going rogue amongst the knitting and pickleball-playing residents of Desert Tortoise land her in a heap of trouble? Or will Rex and Viv put their differences aside and work together before a local cop chases them off the case?

"Readers who enjoy mysteries in unusual milieus with a dash of romance will find this yarn an enjoyable read." Kirkus Review