Death and the Social Climber: The Second Ann Audrey Mystery

Murder Is the Ultimate Power Move

When a beautiful Atlanta woman is widowed twice under suspicious circumstances, Ann Audrey Pickering finds herself drawn-once again-into someone else's trouble.

A former lawyer who once helped the FBI convict her own husband for fraud, Ann Audrey has settled into a reclusive life, until her longtime friend Flynn Reynolds asks for help. His elderly aunts are convinced that another nephew was murdered by his wife, Kathryn, whose second husband is now also dead. Ann Audrey is skeptical. Still, she owes Flynn, and there are some odd questions. Complicating matters is Kathryn's latest mother-in-law, a woman who rose from an impoverished background into Atlanta's upper circles and recognizes a kindred spirit in her dead son's ambitious widow. She doesn't believe Kathryn is a murderer-but she has heard rumors, and she wants them stopped.

Set in Atlanta in January 2000, as the city buzzes with anticipation for the upcoming Super Bowl, Ann Audrey searches for the black widow through the city's frenetic bar scene, private clubs, high-rise offices, and beloved local institutions like Mary Mac's Tea Room and The Varsity. With help from Flynn and her friend Theo, along with the return of sexy detective Mike Bristol, she pieces together a twisting story of social climbing, carefully managed appearances, marriage, and murder. As the Super Bowl kickoff draws near, the case reaches a climax when an ice storm shuts down Atlanta's roads and power, leaving secrets and murderers with nowhere to hide.