Champagne Kisses, Cyanide Dreams — Ralph Graves

Growing up in Manhattan and attending Groton and Harvard, I learned to tolerate many frightful people. But you have to draw the line somewhere. I drew the line at Mildred Silk. Thus are we introduced to Jason Arnold, occasional writer, bon vivant, and acerbic observer of life on Martha's Vineyard - the exclusive preserve of the rich, the privileged, and the famous. And few of the island's denizens are more determinedly rich, privileged, and famous than Millie Silk. Famous most of all for her acid tongue and general mean-spiritedness, Millie is about to publish her most extravagant no-holds-barred celebrity expose ever. But the presses may never roll once she is murdered at her own party, in plain sight of nearly two dozen witnesses. All the island - enemies and admirers alike - is aghast. Rounding up the suspects is easy; the killer must have been present at the party, and every last one of the guests seems to have had an excellent motive. But as the police begin to investigate, the most likely suspects also begin to die, one by one, and all by cyanide. Champagne Kisses, Cyanide Dreams is a frequently sarcastic, often hilarious, and unflaggingly thrilling tour through the celebrity mansions and gardens of a Vineyard most tourists never see. Ralph Graves is a suave and civilized writer who manages to by very funny, very suspenseful, and like his book, very entertaining.