Stable hand Dakota Green would rather compete in the Hunger Games than Aubergine’s annual beauty pageant. But her late mother's last wish is about to see her trading her muck boots for Jimmy Choos – and uncover a decades-old mystery of a missing beauty queen.

Welcome to Aubergine, Virginia, where the mountains are blue, the air is sweet, and the beauty queens have secrets darker than last year's spray tan.

Armed with more sarcasm than sequins, Dakota reluctantly enters the cutthroat world of sashes and smiles to save her family home. But when the pageant owner vanishes faster than she can shimmy into an evening gown, suspicion lands on Dakota's beloved Aunt DeeDee.

Now Dakota must navigate a minefield of catty contestants, skeptical judges, the infuriatingly handsome new sheriff and a decades-old mystery of a missing beauty queen – all while mastering the art of walking in heels without looking like a newborn foal. Can this reluctant pageant star unmask a killer, clear her aunt's name, and claim the crown? Or will she be the next to disappear?

Hilarious and heartfelt, A Beauty Queen's Guide to Murder & Mayhem is perfect for fans of small-town mysteries with big laughs. If you love the wit of Janet Evanovich, the charm of Only Murders in the Building, and beauty queens with a penchant for trouble, this book is a must-read.