beth tompson

In this Musical Mystery Tour series debut, the Beatles song "Eleanor Rigby" helps Reference Assistant Ali Landon and Sampson Street Seniors Emmy Rose, Terése, Phillipe and Charli catch a desperate killer on the campus of the University of Central Ontario in Canada.

Of course, there's the clues: the rice that was picked up and where it went, and the jars by the door with the unique contents. Then there's Father MacKenny writing his sermon and a few important emails, but someone else darns socks when there’s nobody there. Oh, and we can't forget the secrets in MacKenny's church where the weddings have been or the importance of clever make-up.

Add to that the questions: Where did they all come from? Where did they all belong? Why was no one saved? Why was it nobody came? (After all, they did get invitations.)

Combine those with the suspects at the University's library where the first victim was last seen: Klutzy Kate, the new employee who was first on the scene; the Asian janitor with the broken English that no one noticed was listening; the ambitious Department Head with a troubled marriage and a missing gun; the students' favorite librarian who is, as they say, 'too good to be true.' A librarian nicknamed Dumb Belle who needs to be fired; one that just suddenly retired; a quiet saint whose halo needs polishing and a higher-up with a novel retirement plan round out the group.

Working in the small college town of Cackleberry, just south of Algonquin Provincial Park's 3,000-square-mile wilderness, means few resources and fewer trained officers to work on the case. In fact it leaves only one man: Marc Zanetti who has never handled a real murder.

But the body count mounts so the seniors get busy. Ali deals with dirty hands, a death at the church and discoveries while walking by graves. Finally she knows the killer's identity and, with Marc's help, sets traps that results in a capture and some twists that none of them expects.