This is an attention-grabbing image: a severed hand washes ashore in tony Palm Beach.

That is what sparks the story in Deborah Goodrich Royce’s new novel, “Reef Road.” Its central characters are a lonely writer who is obsessed with the unsolved murder of her mother’s best friend and a panicked wife whose husband has disappeared with their children.

There will be a book launch party for “Reef Road” on Saturday afternoon at The United Theatre in Westerly. Royce will discuss the novel with bestselling author Luanne Rice, and the event will also feature cocktails and hors d’oeuvres.

Backlist titles by Royce and Rice will be on sale as well, along with CDs of “Warmed: Songs of Heart and Spirit,” written and performed by River Flow.

All proceeds from the book and ticket sales go to the Warm Center in Westerly; it provides comprehensive shelter services to adult men and women in South County.

Deborah Goodrich Royce booksigning, 4 p.m. Saturday, The United Theatre, 5 Canal St., Westerly; tickets are $50 and include a copy of “Reef Road”; all proceeds from the book and ticket sales go to the Warm Center in Westerly; unitedtheatre.org.