You think you had a rotten day? Stella Maris was let go from her job, evicted, and dumped by her long-term boyfriend-all before lunch- it was her birthday. But plucky Stella clears out the joint account and hops the first flight to America. Finally several layovers and plane changes later, she arrives at her aunt's apartment in Venice Beach at midnight-to trip over a dead body. Thus begins an often-hilarious romp through the lives of the quirky denizens of Billy's Apartments and Venice Beach. Stella may be a "stranger in a strange land" but between a little help from new friends, artist Olivia, attorney Mr. Bernstein, Liz the nextdoor neighbor, and Mr. Velvet the cat, she thrives amidst a funeral, a witches' bonfire, an attack, a missing boa constrictor, and the puzzling diaries. I fell in love with this zany book and its delightful characters. You'll think you're right there at the beach with them. I did. She's an unlikely heroine you'll cry with, laugh with, and root for from page one to the end. Author Aletheia Morden has hit it out of the beach volleyball court!