title: Murder at the Laurels (A Libby Sarjeant Murder Mystery)
author:  Lesley Cookman 
description: Lesley started writing almost as soon as she could read, and filled many exercise books with pony stories until she was old enough to go out with boys. Since she's been grown up, following a varied career as a model, air stewardess and disc jockey, she's written short fiction and features for a variety of magazines, achieved an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Wales, taught writing for both Kent Adult Education and the WEA and edited the first Sexy Shorts collection of short stories from Accent Press in aid of the Breast Cancer Campaign. She lives on the Kent coast.
zlib_text: CHAPTER ONE
  Lawrence, Massachusetts, September 1890
  Laurel Weidner stood alongside her friend, Violet, and dozens of other women, all former
  employees of the Brown Textile Mill, on the bank of the Merrimack River. They’d lost their jobs
  when the Mill burned down a week ago. With most of them facing bleak times, each one listened
  closely as Roberta McDaniel, their previous manager, started to speak.
  “I’m sure you’re all wondering why I’ve gathered you here today.” She glanced over at her
  friend, Sarah, who nodded and smiled encouragingly. “All of us have been left jobless by the fire in
  the factory. Mr. Brown has no intention of rebuilding.”
  Laurel’s hands started to tingle and for a few seconds, she heard nothing but a roar in her ears.
  When her head cleared somewhat, she realized Roberta was still speaking.
  “. . . my sister recently went to Kansas as a mail order bride. A matchmaker in Beckham found
  her groom for her, and she’s happy. I went to see the matchmaker yesterday to find out