Dead Beat and Deadly

Dying to Sing, Margaret Chittenden's first Charlie Plato mystery, was praised for "its wry tone and appealing charm" by Publishers Weekly. Of the second, Dead Men Don't Dance, Library Journal raved, "Refreshing characters, bright humor, enjoyable plotting and easy-going prose." Now, Charlie Plato returns for her third case of murder in "Dead Beat and Deadly."After recovering from her last brush with murder, Charlie Plato, the manager of Chaps, a country-western club just outside San Francisco, decides to take time out from teaching the Texas two-step, and get lessons herself -- in self-defense. The women's kung-fu course at Chaps is a bit slow warming up, except for Estrella, a pretty young Filipina who's more than a little eager. Her real target, she confides to Charlie, is the husband who's been using her as a punching bag. When Estrella is fatally stabbed and tossed off a bridge, Charlie starts looking into her life, and learns that Estrella wasn't what she appeared to be -- and that one set of lies will quickly lead to another, with deadly consequences for anyone, including Charlie, who gets in the way.