Page 35 of Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies

“Yeah.” She frowns. “There’s more.”

“Okay.”

“She has a second book coming out next year.”

“Let me guess, she stole the plot from Murder in Nice?”

“Close. Gibraltar Is for Dying.”

“Clever, skipping around like that.” I lean back in my chair and close my eyes against the sun.48, 49 “So she’s stealing my plots and she’s here because… what? They weren’t selling enough tickets for my events at the Salerno Literary Festival?”

“That’s my guess.”

“Fantastic.”

“Maybe you can call her on it? Head her off at the pass?”

I grab my glass. It feels good to wave it around dramatically. “It doesn’t matter. I’m out of the game anyway.”

“You are?”

“I’m going to be.”

“How?”

I drain the rest of my drink, then clunk the glass down on the table for emphasis. “If someone doesn’t do it for me, I’m going to kill Connor myself.”

AMALFI MADE ME DO IT—OUTLINE

Elevator Pitch: Charming, ne’er-do-well private detective Connor Smith has one last case to crack—his own. Will he solve his murder before it happens, or is he destined to become his first unsolved case?

WHO?

Connor Smith. Obv.

WHAT?

Maybe like Agatha offed Poirot. Poison? No. Something complicated with a gun on a string? Grr. Check.

WHERE?

Amalfi Coast. Pick a specific town on the tour. Be on the lookout for something good, but not crowded.

There are too many people around all the time, esp. in summer.

Consider setting it in the fall. But who goes on vacation in the fall??

WHEN?

ASAP. The body’s supposed to drop in the first chapter, but since it’s Conner, probably have to keep him around for a while. Ugh. Maybe the whole book? Whatever.

The important thing is that he’s dead by THE END.

WHY?

Motive #1: Cecilia Crane is sick of being second fiddle to Connor and takes matters into her own hands (thin—do better).

HOW?

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