In the Fargo meets Miss Marple darkly comic Mrs. Goodman’s First Murder, Harmon Rutledge’s perfect plan to solve his marriage problem is disrupted by a robbery at his bank. But when Ethel Goodman, recently widowed, retired schoolteacher turned real estate agent, thwarts the robbery and saves him from eternal ignominy, Harmon decides to reward her heroism by engaging her to sell his house. Ethel soon learns Harmon’s wife is missing, however, and her intuition tells her something is wrong. She begins to doubt his good intentions, but her misgivings are overridden by the thought of a big commission. 

Meanwhile, Harmon ensnares the bumbling bank robbers, one of whom is Ethel’s estranged stepson, in his new plan to get away with murder. Charlie and Don, who can barely manage their daily lives, don’t see the danger barreling at them until it’s too late, and their hapless solutions only lead them into more danger.

As clues pile up, Ethel joins Millie Overbee, a young reporter determined to get a breakout story, and Lena, the missing wife’s lover, to investigate the wife’s disappearance. Because, although she has dark secrets of her own, Ethel believes no one should get away with murder.

MRS. GOODMAN’S FIRST MURDER will appeal to fans of Murder She Wrote, An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good, The Silver Ladies of Penny Lane, and Mindful of Murder.

by Ginny Fite
Page Count: 250
Trim Size: 6 x 9
Publish Date: October 21, 2025
Imprint: Milford House Press
Genre: Fiction / Mystery