Fresh off her first assignment as a travel writer, former investigative reporter Samantha “Sam" Powers is ready for a new adventure.

When her editor at Carmel Today magazine instead asks her to write a travel piece about the local Monterey County area as part of a special issue around the upcoming Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament, Sam is initially hesitant. Not only is she not particularly fond of the sport of golf, Sam has had plenty of reasons to stay away from her hometown for the past dozen years. Truthfully, if it weren't for her ailing father (Carmel-by-the-Sea’s former police chief), she wouldn't have come back at all.

Ultimately, Sam takes the assignment. As she tours the scenic locales of Carmel Valley, Big Sur, Pacific Grove, and Pebble Beach, Sam ends up unearthing a cold case involving the disappearance of the previous editor of Carmel Today. Dangerously in over her head, Sam knows she will have to call on some friends—including the detective she met on her previous assignment to Maui—to solve the suspicious incident and come out alive. Will the unexpected puzzle help her gain a new appreciation for her hometown or will the Monterey area be the last place Sam ever sees?

“Destination: Monterey” is the second in the Destination Murder Mystery series. Readers can expect exotic locales, a behind-the-scenes look at the travel industry, and the twists and turns expected from a quality mystery.

Lauren Davis