Libby, a former flame of Hitchcock Sewell, has returned to town with her two children, but minus one husband and one nanny. Libby’s husband has been accounted for — she left him back in Annapolis. However, the nanny, Sophie, is truly missing. As soon as Hitch starts to nose around, Sophie turns up — literally — in the Severn River. She’s quite dead, and just a little bit pregnant. The police suspect suicide, but Sophie’s mom is adamant it’s murder. Hitch’s sense: He sides with the mother. Racing around town, Hitch finds more questions than answers. Murder in the Hearse Degree is another pitch-perfect mystery in a series that never disappoints, always surprises, and keeps the laughs — and corpses — rolling right along.