Up to Her Neck

A body surfaces, a renovation goes sideways, and a midlife woman goes full Nancy Drew.

She wanted a fresh start. She got a body instead.

Empty-nested and newly single at forty-seven, Wendy McFarquhar drains her savings to buy a ramshackle hot-springs resort in an old mining town. The plan: renovate, reopen by ski season, and reinvent her life along the way. The reality: before she can welcome a single guest, the town’s resident troublemaker turns up dead on her property.

Wendy suspects the mining corporation trespassing nearby—but their rugged engineer seems determined to distract her. The sheriff detains her best friend. And suddenly, Wendy is knee-deep in secrets, suspects, and very bad timing.

Her ex-husband refuses to sign the divorce papers, putting her bank loan—and the resort—at risk. Her oldest daughter is dating one of the suspects. Her youngest is coming out, moving home, and bunking in Wendy’s sixteen-foot Airstream. Now a moderately fit suburban realtor with a fear of heights must uncover the truth, save the hot springs, and figure out how to parent grown children without making things worse.

She’d kill for a piece of paradise.
But someone beat her to it.

Up to Her Neck is a sharp, funny mystery about second chances, small-town secrets, and starting over when everything is on the line—perfect for readers who love smart heroines, midlife reinvention, and twists that keep coming until the final page.