No One Dies in Branson — Kathryn Buckstaff

DENIM AND DIAMONDS...AND DEATH.
Pulling into Branson, Missouri to cover the Country Music Awards for the Tampa Tribune, reporter Emily Stone hardly recognizes the sleepy Ozark town of her childhood, now a booming mecca of sights and sounds. And then there's the lavish opening bash -- a dazzling sea of big hair and big names. Isn't that Kenny Rogers over in the corner? And wasn't that Loretta Lynn out by the pool?

But the festive party takes a gruesome turn when aspiring young singing star Stella Love falls to her death from the mansion's balcony. Everyone's calling it a freakish accident, but Emily has reason to think otherwise.

Soon, she's investigating more than the abundant local color, and dodging someone who wants her out of Branson, fast. But with a show to cover, and a hankering to hound out the truth, she plans to stick around and face the music.