Description

---

A small-town B&B owner gets more than she bargained for in this first installment of a Southern cozy mystery series that’s as sweet as a Georgia peach

What’s black and white and dead all over? Georgia bed and breakfast proprietor Nina Fleet finds out when she comes across a corpse in a penguin costume . . .

Nina Fleet’s life ought to be as sweet as a Georgia peach. Awarded a tidy sum in her divorce, Nina retired at 41 to a historic Queen Anne house in quaint Cymbeline, Georgia. But Nina’s barely settled into her new B&B-to-be when a penguin shows up on her porch. Or, at least, a man wearing a penguin suit.

Harry Westcott is making ends meet as an ice cream shop’s mascot and has a letter from his great-aunt, pledging to leave him the house. Too bad that’s not what her will says. Meanwhile, the Sisters of Perpetual Poverty have lost their lease. Real estate developer Gregory Bainbridge intends to turn the convent into a golfing community, so Cymbeline’s mayor persuades Nina to take in the elderly nuns. And then Nina finds the “penguin” again, this time lying in an alley with a kitchen knife in his chest.

A peek under the beak tells Nina it’s not Harry inside the costume, but Bainbridge. What was he doing in Harry’s penguin suit? Was the developer really the intended victim, or did the culprit mean to kill Harry? Whoever is out to stop Harry from contesting the sale of his great-aunt’s house may also be after Nina, so she teams up with him to cage the killer before someone clips her wings in Peach Clobbered, Anna Gerard’s charming first Georgia B&B mystery.

About the Author

---

Anna Gerard is a member of Mystery Writers of America and was the 2018 Chapter President of the Florida chapter of MWA. She also belongs to the Cat Writers’ Association and the Palm Beach County Beekeepers Association. She has a BA in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma. A native Texan, she now lives in the West Palm Beach area with her husband, dogs, cats, and a few beehives.

Praise For…

---

Praise for Peach Clobbered:
“Gerard has honed her craft, and it shows. Protagonist Nina Fleet is confident, sassy, and someone you’d want as a best friend, especially if Mattie her dog is with her...A 5-star read. Excellent characters, great fun, brisk plot, and a new cozy, cozy-setting. Dig in and enjoy. Just don’t forget to breathe.”
—Carolyn Haines, USA Today bestselling author of the Sarah Booth Delaney mysteries

“Filled with Southern charm and enough ditzy characters to keep readers guessing and laughing.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“Bright and breezy...Gerard provides it all: well-drawn characters, pithy dialogue, and enough twists and turns and shifts of motive to keep cozy fans happily playing the whodunit game.”
—Publishers Weekly

"Humor, an engaging cast, interesting details about running a B&B, and the nicely evoked small-town Georgia setting distinguish this cozy."
—Booklist

"Entertaining and downright fun...Definitely another series that is sure to grab fans!"
—Suspense Magazine

"Nina is a spirited lead, and the town is full of supporting characters that add to the mosaic of Cymbeline...A perfect armchair vacation of a book."
—BookPage

“An engaging read with vibrant characters. Anna Gerard’s Peach Clobbered is chock full of fun, including eccentric Southerners defending hearth and home, a stalker, an unusual relic, an overheated penguin, and a gaggle of nuns. While trying to hang onto her new B&B, Nina Fleet (that’s Nine-ah to those who haven’t met her yet) investigates the death of an unpopular real estate developer. Gutsy and determined, Nina and her beloved Aussie pooch Maddy charm both friend and foe. I’d love to stay at Nina’s B&B and enjoy her hospitality. I didn’t want the book to end.”
—Maggie Toussaint, award-winning author

“Gerard paints a stunning portrait of small-town Georgia, replete with a colorful cast of characters. She lays the groundwork for what is sure to be a blockbuster series.”
—Karla Brandenburg, award-winning author

“Anna Gerard writes with a skillful touch...A whip-smart protagonist...A cozy blanket of murderous fun. A cracking-good, page-turning start to a brilliant new series!”
—Cheryl Hollon, author of Webb’s Glass Shop mysteries