He who laughs last, laughs longest. Unless he's dead. When romance author Hazel Rose is dropped by her publisher, she sees herself heading down a path strewn with has-been authors. While disappointed, Hazel won't give up without a fight-she signs up for a mystery-writing class, thinking that crime fiction will jumpstart her career. But what's a mystery-writing class without a mystery? So when Randy Zimmerman, an obnoxious classmate given to laughing at others' expense, is murdered, Hazel tackles the case. Solving a real-life murder will surely lend authenticity to her creative writing. She recruits her book group pals to help with the investigation. Trouble is, there are more suspects than they bargained for-even Hazel herself, who endured Randy's thumbs-way-down review of her writing, had a motive. A second body drives the stakes higher, and Hazel doubles her efforts to find who's behind the murders, unearthing secrets that a killer would go to any lengths to keep hidden. Will Hazel succeed? Or will this be "The End" for her?