A North Carolina painter solves the murder of a fellow vendor at a craft fair with the help of her trusty Chihuahua and a ghost she's reincarnated through a painting. In her first year at the Farewell, Summer Arts and Craft Fair, Celeste Cabot (Murder Can Mess Up Your Masterpiece, 2019, etc.) expects to draw inspiration for her paintings from the beautiful landscapes the town of Cherokee has to offer. But when her Chihuahua, Van, named for the great van Gogh, leads her down to the river next to the fair, he shows her not just the scenery, but also the body of fellow vendor Erica Miller. Erica appears to have been murdered, and Celeste knows it's her responsibility to solve the case whether or not anyone asks for her help. Even though her handsome suitors, FBI Detective Pierce Meyer and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Detective Caleb Ward, both ask Celeste to keep out of it, she's determined to suss out Erica's killer. It's not as if either of them has the skills that a painter like her brings to the investigation…wait, are they detectives? No matter! Celeste is kind of helped in her nosing around and digging up by Ama, a woman from the past whom Celeste returns to the present via her painting and who may have her own mystery to solve. There are recipes, too. Your Chihuahua is more likely to be confused by the clichéd plotting and writing than by the murder itself. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.