Working hard to keep her five and dime operating in the black, Deveraux "Dev" has opened it to local community groups at night, even offering some catering. When the local book club meets at her store, the author is met with derision and he storms out of the store. Shortly after midnight, Dev is called by the town sheriff. The body of a poet who read to the group has been found outside her store.

With the outside of her store marked off as a crime scene, Dev reviews her books and realizes that she must get involved if she is to keep her doors open.

First, she has to learn more about the identity of the poet. He claims to be from their small town but no one recognizes him. His writing is incredibly sexist and offensive to most of the book club. With the help of her two suitors, Dr. Noah Underwood and U.S. Marshal, Jake Del Vecchio, Dev will learn more than she ever wanted to know about the victim. Not only did he write a local gossip column, he was also the author of a book that rivaled Fifty Shades of Gray.

When an attempt is made on Dev's life, the sordid details of Lance Quistgaard's life will be revealed. DEAD BETWEEN THE LINES will keep the reader guessing. Ms. Swanson's Devereaux's Dime Story Mysteries are a must for cozy readers everywhere.

Book Summary

Opening an old-fashioned five-and-dime shop in her small Missouri hometown has been a great change for Devereaux “Dev” Sinclair. But when she hosts a reading group there, she learns that bad writing can mean life or death.
 
To keep her new business in the black, Dev opens up her shop to local clubs. But in the first meeting of the Stepping Out Book Club, the speaker storms out after members attack his poetry’s sexism and scorn for small towns. Later that night, the poet’s body is found outside Dev’s store.
 
Dev can’t afford for the murder to close her down, so she does a little stepping out of her own to investigate, with help from her two sexy suitors, Dr. Noah Underwood and Deputy U.S. Marshal Jake Del Vecchio. But when the killer threatens Dev, they will have to use every trick in the book to solve the case before she becomes the final chapter in this murder mystery.…