The Island Affair — Jeanne Irelan

At what should have been an idyllic island retreat, Judge “Baby” Godbold, visiting her brother and his wife, finds herself in the midst of murder. Lily Lawrence, a beautiful woman with a somewhat tarnished reputation, is found stabbed to death on the beach after a party. The judge manages to insert herself into the investigation to the relief of the sheriff from the mainland. And she does so in the nick of time, for yet another murder takes place a few days later: a gay antiques dealer whose shop is on the island also is found dead. His partner is taken in for protection by Baby to the home of the dead woman, where she is temporarily living with Lily's sister Dolores, a forensic chemist, who has come from Dallas to clear up Lily's effects. Several high-powered men on the island come under Baby's scrutiny, including a wanna be candidate for governor and Lily's former husband, himself an antiques dealer known for nefarious dealings, who is close by on the mainland. Had Lily's greed for more money to accommodate her lifestyle been the cause of her death? Judge Godbold ferrets out the truth, surprising the well-heeled community.