The Rooftop Party: A Novel

Ellen Meister

May 2021 · Sold by MIRA

About this ebook

2021 SUMMER READ PICK--LONG ISLAND WOMAN

“THE ROOFTOP PARTY is a wickedly entertaining rom-com/murder mystery from start to finish. It promises to be a contender for beach read of the year.”
--BookReporter

A Host of Trouble...

In this witty and engaging novel, Dana Barry, the Shopping Channel’s star host, stops by the company’s rooftop party to pitch the new CEO her brilliant idea that just might save the flagging business, her job and possibly her love life.

As she chats with the smarmy executive, he backs her into a dark corner. For Dana, it’s a quid pro oh-hell-no. She escapes his lecherous grasp and grabs her drink on her way to the dance floor. Woozy, she blacks out.

When she comes to, the CEO is dead, fallen from the roof. Or was he pushed? And if so, by whom? It’s hard to know, but one thing is certain: Dana was close enough to be suspect.

Sure, she loathed how the creep moved in on her, but she’s no killer. Or is she? Truth is, Dana can’t remember much about those minutes. Now she has to use all her skills to prove her innocence to everyone, including her police detective boyfriend—and herself.

Meister’s latest is fun and breezy, a compelling, suspenseful read that entertains and keeps you guessing.

Ratings and reviews

The Rooftop Party by Ellen Meister is an intriguing women’s fiction with a touch of suspense. The mystery, a corporate rooftop party that turns into Dana Barry’s biggest nightmare, is a background story to her trying to make a better life for herself. Dana is a feisty, wisecracking, weed smoker; traveling on a journey that is filled with laughter and a few tears along the way. Dana is the Shopping Channel’s most popular host, but things are about to turn sour when the company suffers from possible financial ruin. Dana comes up with an idea to save the company, but not everyone sees it that way. At the party, Dana gets into an argument with the CEO who is more interested in Dana than her ideas for the company. During a disagreement, Dana suddenly passes out. When she wakes up, she learns the CEO is dead after falling from the roof. Dana is frightened of what might have happened during the time she blacked out. She wonders if she could have killed the man. She decides to look into things, but she can’t let her police detective boyfriend, Ari Marks, know or it could compromise his job as well as her innocence. Dana has her new assistant, Ashlee St. Pierre, a former pageant girl from Tennessee help her in finding out what happened to Ivan Dennison, the CEO. Ms. Meister wrote a wonderful, emotional and heartwarming story that should not be missed. Although the murder mystery played a small part of the story, readers were kept on their toes as to who did it; I miss-guessed a number of times. This a tale was rich with chemistry, fun dialogue, strong friendships, and endearing characters giving Dana peace of mind with her job, a chance for a future with Ari and closure with the death. I highly recommend The Rooftop Party to other readers. I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

About the author

Author of The Rooftop Party, Love Sold Separately, Dorothy Parker Drank Here, Farewell Dorothy Parker, and other novels, Ellen Meister is also an editor, book coach, and contributor to Long Island Woman. She has been published in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and elsewhere, and has appeared on NPR. Ellen teaches creative writing at LIU Hutton House Lectures. More at ellenmeister.com.