Little Shop of Homicide

March 1, 2012

Local girl Devereaux Sinclair has returned to her small Missouri town after a stint in Kansas City ended badly. Now self-employed as a general store owner/gift basket creator and acting as a caregiver to her grandmother, Dev is stunned when her ex-boyfriend's fiancee is murdered in a bizarre manner. Worse, a zealous local detective wants to pin the crime on her. But feisty Dev, a former investment professional, is no dummy, and she is not about to be intimidated by a detective with a grudge. With her two best friends, an attorney and a bar owner, she is ready to find the killer. Grandma has a strategy, too, and chaos ensues. VERDICT Veteran author Swanson (Murder of a Creped Suzette; "Scumble River Mysteries") debuts a spunky new heroine with a Missouri stubborn streak. Joelle Charbonneau readers will like this one for its slightly zany, multigenerational take on small-town mores.

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.