Pomona Afton Can So Solve a Murder

Rose debuts with an amusing mystery that skewers the entitlement of wealthy New Yorkers. Pomona “Pom” Afton, 28, spends her days partying and jetting between international Fashion Weeks. The heiress to a luxury hotel chain, Pom possesses a fortune that—though controlled by her fierce grandma Marion—seems limitless. One evening, Pom goes to Marion’s private suite at an Afton hotel, only to find the old woman stabbed in the throat and chest. Content to let the police handle the investigation, the family eagerly awaits the reading of Marion’s will. To their horror, a clause has been added stating that, should Marion die of unnatural causes, all family assets will be frozen for at least one year, and will be unfrozen only when the murderer is caught. With no trust fund to draw on, Pom is expelled from her own suite at an Afton hotel and decides it’s incumbent on her to find her grandma’s killer—if only to secure her inheritance. She teams up with Gabe, her former nanny’s son, to do some sleuthing, and sparks soon fly. Rose’s pacing is swift, her clues are subtly placed, and Pom’s fish-out-of-water perspective provides some charming, if predictable, humor. A sequel would be welcome. Agent: Merrilee Heifetz, Writers House. (Mar.)