Gossip columnist Dagmar Delacroix Chatsworth and her yappy lapdog Rover's recent stay at the Hillside Manor left hostess Judith McMonigle Flynn's nerves, and best bed linens, in tatters. So Judith joins cousin Renie for some well-earned off-season R&R at Canada's famous Bugler Ski Resort -- only to discover with horror that the swanky getaway is the next stop on detestable Dagmar's itinerary. But it seems the cousins aren't the only guests with serious grudges against the dirt-disher and her malicious mutt. And when one of the despised lady's entourage is murdered on the snowless slopes, Judith sets out to corner a killer -- before more hapless hangers-on discover that Dagmar's company can be even more poisonous than her pen. Judith needs a vacation from the nationally known gossip columnist who is renting rooms at Judith's bed-and-breakfast. Once the disruptive guest departs, Judith heads to a Canadian ski resort, only to find the columnist in residence--as unpopular as ever. When her secretary is murdered while wearing one of the columnist's trademark turbans, Judith feels compelled to investigate. Original.