Sophie Winston's life is a whirl of activity, as she works overtime on Old Town, Virginia's annual home and garden show, Rooms and Blooms. But when she discovers that her eccentric next-door neighbor, Mordeci Artemus has died, Sophie feels bad that she hadn't been more attentive to the aging professor.

Mordeci's home had always been the focal point of great speculation, and upon his death, everyone is surprised to find out he has left his mansion to his pet Pomeranian. So Sophie was surprised when she receives a message from Mordeci's lawyer with his last request -- for her to plan a party in his honor, including a detailed menu, room arrangement plans, and a specific guest list inviting five of his former students.

Sophie is mystified, but carries on with the request, which includes five packages containing a key to a mysterious puzzle that only the five students could possibly know how to solve.

But Sophie wouldn't be Sophie if she didn't want to find out what all the secrecy is about, much to boyfriend Detective Wolf Fleishman's chagrin, and while she is decorating one of the rooms of the house for the annual statewide Home Design contest, she and her best friend, Nina, find that the walls actually do hold secrets that could threaten the lives of a lot of folks in town.
In the 3rd installment of her Domestic Diva Mystery series, THE DIVA PAINTS THE TOWN, author Krista Davis once again delights her readers with the antics of Sophie, her sidekick Nina, and her nemesis Natasha. Lively, full of humor as well as intrigue, Davis has crafted a charming cozy mystery with a unique home decorating theme that fans of the genre will adore. Included are decorating and entertaining tips, as well as a few luscious recipes for dishes mentioned in the book.

Book Summary

Color this Domestic Diva puzzled-from the national bestselling author.

When Sophie's neighbor-a reclusive professor-dies, his final wish is for the Domestic Diva to throw a dinner party in his honor, and he's planned everything down to the letter. But what no one planned for is the corpse of a student that Sophie finds in his house.