Bigfork author releases latest mystery novel

Leslie Budewitz, of Bigfork, continues her Food Lovers’ Village series with “Treble at the Jam Fest,” which will be available June 8.

Budewitz is a Montana native and has published seven works of fiction, two nonfiction books and two cookbooks. She has won Agatha Awards for both her fiction and nonfiction work and is a member locally of Authors of the Flathead and Montana Women Writers.

IN HER new book, the quaint town of Jewel Bay, Montana is hosting its annual jazz festival with musicians from across the nation visiting to celebrate music. Gerry Martin, an award-winning guitarist, is the main event, but everyone seems to have a beef with the man. After the first show and several tiffs with other musicians, the guitarist is seen tumbling off a cliff into the Jewel River.

Erin Murphy, manager of Murphy’s Mercantile, rushes to the river thinking her boyfriend was the deceased. Finding out it was Gerry gives Erin a slight bit of comfort until her boyfriend says Gerry was pushed to his death. Murder is bad publicity and could wreak havoc on Jewel Bay’s festival. In order to set things right, Erin begins to seek out the guitarist’s murderer — and hopefully avoid a deadly finale.

Bestselling author Krista Davis (“Domestic Diva Mysteries) said of this book, “A tasty bite of Montana as authentic as the brown-and-white cowhide directors’ chairs. Leslie Budewitz writes of the place of her heart in a delicious mystery as richly constructed as the layers of a buttery pastry. Wine, enchiladas and song make for a gourmet treat in the coziest town in Montana.”

The book is being published by Midnight Ink. More information on Budewitz is available at www.lesliebudewitz.com.