Lily Barlow has one goal in life: to get out of her hometown. But after her father’s heart attack, Lily returns home from college to get the family business running, while simultaneously searching for the identity of a murder victim.

After pausing her plans and returning to sleepy Marshall, Virginia, 21-year-old Lily Barlow is determined to keep this visit short and sweet. Rather than temporarily moving back home, Lily opts to rent a room from Miss Delphine Walker, a senior who grows flowers and mutters about the murderous intentions of the human heart.

Lily’s return prompts Jack Turner, her best friend since kindergarten, to ask if they can be more, just as Lily begins investigating the identity of an unidentified murder victim. Fancying herself a southern-fried version of Stephanie Plum, Lily dodges Jack’s romantic advances as she dives into the mystery with exuberance and good intentions.

Told in a sometimes sweet, sometimes snarky southern accent, Lily Barlow Book One: the Mystery of Jane Dough delivers romance, comedy and mystery in a joyride of contemporary fiction. Readers will laugh out loud at this fast-paced tale complete with relatable characters, quaint small-town setting and loads of southern charm.