Freelance writer Jaine Austen thought she knew what she
was getting herself into when she landed a gig working
behind the scenes at a teen beauty pageant. But between the
vicious stage moms, exacting judges, and trash-talking
teens, sheβs not sure sheβs the woman for the
jobβespecially when the catfights turn deadlyβ¦
Jaine has been hired by ΓΌber-pushy stage mom Heather Van
Sant to write lyrics for her daughter Taylorβs song in the
talent competition for the Miss Teen Queen America pageant.
Itβs different from anything Jaine has done before, but if
nothing else, sheβs looking forward to a free weekend in a
swanky hotel and a chance to see what really goes on
backstage at a beauty pageant. But the hotel is a dump, the
cattiness is out of control, and Candaceβthe perfectly-
coiffed, whip-cracking pageant directorβis making even
Jaineβs life miserable.
When Candaceβs assistant Amy is found bludgeoned to death
with a silver tiara, there are more suspects than sequins
on a pageant gownβand Heather is first on the list. Taylor
begs Jaine to help clear her momβs name, but the search for
the killer hits a dead end as Jaine quickly realizes that
finding the culprit is going to be trickier than walking
the stage in stilettosβ¦