What people are saying about JUST ADD WATER, Winner of the EPPIE AWARD FOR BEST MYSTERY Hetta Coffey's hilarious string of misadventures after being suddenly plunged into the "yachtie world" is a great page-turner for the quarter berth!— Capt. Pat Rains A romp of a read, with snappy dialogue and memorable secondary characters, but it is Hetta's story. It's easy to sympathize when she takes her yacht out alone into San Francisco Bay, to nurse her broken heart and start A LIST OF THINGS TO DO AS AN INFINITELY UNATTACHED PERSON. Then, of course, all heck breaks loose. —Pat Browning, Author of Absinthe of Malice Can’t get a man? Just add water. Hang on tight for a rollicking adventure with Hetta Coffey, a globetrotting civil engineer with an attitude. After a lifelong swath of failed romances, Hetta prefers living with her dog and commiserating her single status with best friend, Jan. But old habits die-hard and one morning while brunching with Jan at the waterfront, Hetta’s attention is snagged by a parade of passing yachts and their hunky male skippers. She decides that if she had a boat, she could get a man. Despite her naiveté of all things nautical, Hetta buys her dream boat and sets about learning to sail. A series of events, including a shadowy stalker and an inconvenient body threatens to imperil her new lifestyle. As her past comes back to haunt her, Hetta must use all of her gritty resources to foil an attempt on her life to figure out who is determined to kill her and why. —B, Bramblett, for Fiction Addiction Author Jinx Schwartz will need to change her name to Lucky when readers discover Just Add Water. Schwartz has not only hit a home run; her first book is out of the ballpark. Schwartz is a twinkling, bright star on the mystery genre horizon with her witty and sometimes irreverent heroine, Hetta Coffey. Book One of the Hetta Coffey series, Just Add Water, is a refreshing antidote to the seriousness of the mystery genre without sacrificing a well-constructed plot, enjoyable story, and colorful characters. Readers will fly through the pages in anticipation of what Hetta will do, and say next. Schwartz ties up all the loose ends at the conclusion of the book, leaving this reader eagerly anticipating Book Two of the Hetta Coffey series.—BookwormBriefing JUST ADD WATER BY JINX SCHWARTZ Just Add Water Copyright © 2005 Jinx Schwartz All rights reserved. Published and printed U.S.A. The characters and events in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to persons, whether living or dead, is strictly coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any for by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, scanning to the computer disk, or by any informational storage and retrieval system, without express permission in writing from the publisher. BOOKS BY JINX SCHWARTZ The Hetta Coffey Series Just Add Water (Book1) Just Add Salt (Book 2) Just Add Trouble (Book 3) Just Deserts (Book 4) Just the Pits (Book 4) Other Books The Texicans Troubled Sea Land of Mountains Acknowledgements Heartfelt thanks to the following folks: The red pencil gang: Anne Kelty, Holly Whitman, Rebecca Dahlke, Lurah Magee, Marilyn Oliveras, Monica Brooks, Monika Madden, Sheran Vaughn, Geary Ritchie, and Katherine Baccaro. Medical advice: Dr. Betty Carlisle who, via e-mail from her post in Antarctica, gave invaluable medical info. Moral Support: Ed and Nicole Gribble, Maggie and Van Pomeroy, and Paula and Dennis Lepak As always, My best friend and husband, Robert (Mad Dog) Schwartz, offered patience and input. And they know why! Jane Stris, Martha Farrington, Marian Morse, Jane Portis Sheffield, Carmen Austin, Kristin Henry Erikson, and Rae Presley. DEDICATION To my sister, Arleigh. And Jane Stris, who has been like a sister all these years. Prologue Tokyo Hudson’s master plan was unraveling. His cleverly orchestrated year-long juggling act was crashing in on him. If he didn’t make that flight this afternoon, his life wouldn’t be worth two red yen. Hudson Williams thought he was well-prepared for this day, but when a team of auditors from corporate showed up unannounced at his office this morning, his blood ran cold and his mind went into overdrive. Friggin’ sea gulls. They fly in, crap all over everything, and fly out. Of course, bean counters were the least of his problems. All they could do was get him fired, maybe prosecuted for embezzlement. Once his house of cards began to tumble, one thing would lead to another and very quickly the guys he really had to sweat would get clued in. The ones who could get him dead. He really hadn’t planned on double-crossing them, at least this soon, but now he had no choice. All’s fair in love and crime. During that interminable morning, he produced files for his unwelcome visitors, all the while keeping up a seemingly easy banter. His practiced charm, which usually worked for him, began to flag. Minute after stressful minute ticked by, until he pasted a smile on his face and walked into the conference room they’d commandeered. “How’s it going, guys?” The auditors’ heads snapped up from some documents they were poring over, discussing in hushed voices. Thinly veiled suspicion permeated the air. Or was Hudson’s imagination working overtime? He shook off his paranoia. They couldn’t have found anything so soon. Certainly not with the files he’d given them. “So, got everything you need?” Or what I think you need. The head auditor, Garth Jones, stood up and stretched. “We could use a break, but we have a few questions for you. How about we discuss them over some lunch?” Crap. “Uh, sorry, dude, but no can do. Got a doctor’s appointment that won’t keep. But we’ll make dinner an occasion.” He gave them a meaningful leer. “This town can show a guy one good time, if you know what I mean.” Jones didn’t rise to the bait. “Not my cup of tea, Williams. And I’d strongly advise you to break that appointment. Boston is standing by for