First Day Back
A teacher. A cop. A dead body in the classroom. What could possibly go wrong?
Sometimes fate sends you a sign. For high school science teacher Bridget Cruz, that sign came in the form of a corpse.
Bridget thought the worst part of the first day back to school would be the endless faculty meetings.
She was wrong.
When she unlocks her classroom after summer break, she finds something far worse than broken air conditioning or missing lab equipment.
She finds a body.
Enter Detective Erik Davidson: smart, determined and possessing a fine-tuned gut instinct. When Erik suspects the death wasn’t natural, Bridget becomes his unofficial informant inside Mayfair High.
Sparks fly when the sassy teacher and the distractingly handsome detective join forces to figure out what happened to poor old Mrs. Murphy—the recently retired teacher found prone on the linoleum tiles.
If Bridget wants her classroom back—and her school year to survive—she’ll have to do something she never planned:
Help solve a murder.
First Day Back is perfect for fans of humorous cozy mysteries, amateur sleuths, and slow-burn romantic tension.
Meet Bridget Cruz
High school science teacher extraordinaire. At least she thinks so. Sure she gets great results from her students on the state science exam. Thankfully the stress of trying to maintain the reputation of being the school’s best in no way dampens her natural curiosity about the science world, especially forensics. As for her love life, let’s just say “been there, done that, bought the t-shirt and so over it” is her current stance on dating. Until she finds a dead body in her classroom.
Meet Erik Davidson
Police detective extraordinaire. At least he thinks so. He’s never not closed out a case and frequently relies on his gut instinct, which usually doesn’t steer him wrong. Even his Chief trusts it. His love life is best described as opportunistic. After a relationship gone bad left a bad taste in his mouth, he no longer pursues relationships. His usual dating game is played with a “one and done” attitude—no exceptions. Until he investigates a dead body at the local high school.
“Every time I put First Day Back down, I was eager to pick it back up again. The relationship between the protagonist and the detective was exciting, and the mystery kept me turning pages quickly. LV Albuquerque’s debut novel receives an A+ from me!”
— Lily Barrish Levner, author of Catskills Capers: Banquets & Bootleg Bounty and Mountain Maître D’ Mystery