Thus With a Kiss I Die

The delightfully irreverent eldest daughter of the not-so-ill-fated Romeo and Juliet returns to sleuth another day in fair Verona, in this hugely entertaining historical mystery series with a refreshingly bold premise. Woe, for I am the bug that meets the windshield''s might,No longer the speeding glass, smooth, clean and bright . . Youre right. I, Rosie Montague of Verona, am lousy at iambic pentameter and Shakespeare speak, but you get the point: Sometimes youre the windshield and sometimes youre the bug. I, who for my whole life, have cruised along, unruffled by lifes trials, am suddenly smashed flat and speeding recklessly up the WhattheHellHappened Highway. Why? you ask . . Im 20-years-old and by my own design, never been wed, free as no married woman ever is. Im beautiful, but without conceit, for Juliet, my legendary Mamma is the most gorgeous creature to ever walk the earth. Just ask Romeo, my legendary Papà. (Rumors of their deaths were premature. ) I was heartwhole until I fell (literally) in love with Lysander of the House of Beautiful. But our love was not to be, for I was thwarted by Escalus, the Prince of Verona . . who had designs on me. Im trapped. Then! Im presented with a solution. Escaluss father, Prince Escalus the Elder, appears to me. He tasks that I find his killer. Did I mention Elder is a ghost?Given that I only recently dispatched Veronas first serial killer, Im less than pleased. Yet Elder promises to unite me with my One True Love, so I gather clues. Meanwhile, revolution threatens, for beneath Verona societys glittering surface lurk dark shadowsand an enemy eager to make me a tragic heroine in my own right . .