Plot

Is librarian Roe the best sleuth in Real Murders Club? When Jane, a member of the club dies, Roe inherits her house, a skull hidden inside, and a mystery to solve.

When Aurora, or Roe, Teagarden's acquaintance from the hobby group, "Real Murders", dies, Roe is bequeathed a big old house and a small fortune. Roe soon discovers that her generous benefactress has left her more than she bargained for when she uncovers a skull, showing signs of blunt force trauma, hidden in a carpeted window seat in the inherited house. Roe sets out to find out who the victim is and how his or her skull ended up in a spinster's window seat. Will Roe discover the murderer on Honor Street?

Single Lawrenceton librarian Aurora "Ro" Teagarden is a member of a real murders discussion club, a fact that irks Ro's mother, real estate agent Aida Teagarden, who believes Ro should have better things to do with her life like make herself look more attractive to snag a husband. There is a friendly or not so friendly rivalry between some club members, including Ro and club president John Queensland, Ro's newspaper reporter best friend Sally Allison's uncle, as to who has the most acute abilities to solve murders. Elderly club member Jane Engles, who Ro only knows casually but who likens herself to Ro in the future as a retired spinster librarian with a fascination on their discussion club topic - Jane's whose is more specifically on the small subset of women murderers - passes away. To Ro's surprise, she learns from Jane's newly minted lawyer Bubba Rankart that Jane deeded her entire estate to her, which includes a large amount of money and a house. Ro eventually begins to believe Jane's rationale for leaving her the house is to solve a past neighborhood murder, the victim and the murderer who Jane probably did not know but the victim's body of which she was definitely aware. Ro decides not to tell the police about the skeleton, not even ex-club member and her ex-boyfriend, Robbery Detective Arthur Smith, and definitely not Homicide Detective Lynn Liggett, Arthur's eight month pregnant wife who does not get along with Ro. Ro also doesn't tell her latest beau, Father Scott Aubrey, Jane's pastor who Jane set up with Ro on a blind date shortly before her passing. There are a number of people missing from the small enclave that was Jane's neighborhood who could potentially be the victim, with the primary suspects of the murderer being all of Jane's neighbors, who Ro discovers are not quite as friendly with each other as they first appear. Despite her determination to solve the murder, Ro could be in danger as she believes the murderer is aware of her meddling.—Huggo

Having inherited a large estate from nasty crone Jane Engles, retired spinster librarian and fellow member of the now-defunct Real Murders Club, single Lawrenceton librarian Aurora 'Roe' Teagarden is mystified by the mere acquaintance's gift of money, jewelry and a two bedroom house by recent testament change. After chasing a masked intruder, she finds a skull hidden in the couch. Did the old lady kill someone and/or leave Aurora to solve the mystery or was she framed? Aurora must figure it all out before her ex-boyfriend Arthur, the police detective, and her new love interest Aubrey, the episcopal priest, figure out what she's up to, or the clueless local cops, her ex-boyfriend, Robbery Detective Arthur Smith, and befriended Homicide Detective Lynn Liggett, arrest her for sabotaging a criminal case. After rightly guessing where the decapitated skeleton may be buried, all missing person cases in the neighborhood constitute plausible victims, rendering many neighbors at least temporary suspects, causing tension with family, professional relations and friends, to be eliminated one by one.—KGF Vissers