A collection of stories featuring the strangest sleuth in Wyndham-by-the-Sea.With her black clothes, black hair, and faithful black cat, Mrs. Risk incites rumors among the townsfolk of Wyndham-by-the-Sea, who whisper that she’s a witch. She keeps to herself, plants strange things in her garden, and has an unerring ability to see into other people’s minds. With her trusty assistant Rachel, Mrs. Risk keeps tabs on every corner of her small seaside town, sipping wine, hearing secrets, and occasionally breaking curses. Whether her powers are supernatural or merely deductive, no one can deny that they are real.In the seven stories of this volume, Mrs. Risk confronts murderous fishmongers, cursed restaurateurs, and a rock star marked for death. Mystery is rife in Wyndham-by-the-Sea, and only a witch has the power to see the truth.

When Mrs. Risk's widowed friend, Pearl, a former Borscht Belt comedienne, finds herself broke, her long-time manager, whom she plans to marry, arranges a comeback--a live Thanksgiving Day national TV special from a renown Catskills resort. Then Pearl's famous Borscht Pear necklace is stolen and Solly is murdered. When the police think Pearl did it, Mrs. Risk rejects the idea that her friend murdering in a fit of jealous rage. But can she prove it, before the killer strikes again?From Publishers WeeklyAngela Zeman's debut book, The Witch and the Borscht Pearl: A Mrs. Risk Mystery Novel, offers an engaging twist on the Watson and Holmes-style sleuthing duo: Mrs. Risk, who seemingly wields magic, and her young, recently widowed florist sidekick, Rachel, attend a down-and-out Borscht Belt comedienne's comeback party. When their hostess's sole valuable, a pearl necklace, goes missing, and soon thereafter her manager dies mysteriously, Rachel tries to help as the inscrutable Mrs. Risk attempts to clear Pearl's name.Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.