Category: Mystery/Suspense Publisher: Up At Midnight
ISBN-10: 0979611792
Type: Fiction
Pages: 402
Copyright: 2014
ISBN-13: 9780979611797
A Death In The Family
Abby Hawthorne, one of Savannah's outspoken and least favorite cousins is murdered. The suspect list becomes a family affair and there are plenty of kin to choose from, including Savannah.
Cooking Rivals
It's a matter of pride and defending their mother's memory and honor when Georgia and Savannah's cousins challenge the sisters to a locally televised cooking contest. Fried chicken is on the menu but which team will have their wings clipped?
"May You Find The Bees But Not The Honey"
Ennis and eight month pregnant Savannah investigate the murder of restaurateur Bob Davenport. The clues point to his son-in-law Troy Quinn, an Irishman with a sharp tongue and questionable reputation. During their investigation, the detectives stumble on evidence of many more heinous crimes. Could the brazen Irishman be responsible for the crime spree plaguing the city?
Excerpt
Pregnancy was not for the faint of heart. Books, TV and well-meaning relatives neglected to inform women that the first trimester is a Biblical trial unto itself. Between the peeing, nausea and swelling, a woman questions her common sense for not better preparing for such a massive, labor intensive undertaking. The nausea eased up with my second trimester but the swelling and peeing ravaged me as wholly as Sherman marching through Atlanta. Though I’d never confide it to my husband – relieving myself felt better than sex at times. Then came the third trimester. Baby grew, Mama grew, Mama’s feet continued to grow (or so it seemed). I wore size ten shoes anyway so finding footwear was harder than locating the Titanic. It could be done but with lots of time and effort. All this occurred while my bladder simultaneously shrunk to the size of a gnat’s eyeball. Yes, pregnancy tested a woman’s stamina, nerves and sanity. So why did a woman put up with it all? Because she couldn’t wait to see her adorable, soft, pink blessing from God. To hold that little piece of immortality in her arms, knowing that no matter how screwed up her life was, that chubby-cheeked cherub represented a new life and a new beginning.
Ennis watched me approach the desk. Sitting in my chair, I rolled forward but once past my knees everything went to hell again. They said insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome. Well, whoever said it never tried to shoe spoon their body behind a desk or they’d have called it pregnancy.
“Turn sideways,” Ennis suggested. “You’ll fit better.”
“Why?” I asked, my tone slightly indignant. “So everyone can call me the U.S.S. Savannah? No thanks.” Cue the first reference to retirement, I thought, because it’s coming. Ennis and my older sister Georgia insisted I retire and be a full-time mom. A chorus I’d grown mighty weary of lately. I knew the words by heart, heard them in my dreams and arose each morning to them – because I slept next to the choirmaster. I didn’t care that I waddled when I walked nor did I care that my daily trips to the restroom far outnumbered the stars in the sky. I still managed to do my job, a job I loved and until this whale beached herself or couldn’t perform my duties, I would clock in for my shift.
But for now I fumed, “What idiot designed these tiny desks? Anyone with a few extra pounds is screwed.”
“You’ve put on more than a few extra, sugar.”
Oh, so he enjoyed sleeping on the couch. He’d take it for a test drive tonight if he didn’t retract that statement, shred it, burn it and bury it. My expression said as much.
He backed off, “I meant you’re looking mighty healthy for eight months.”
Willa Goodheart, honest and hard-working white collar worker finds herself connected to a police investigation for a serial killer; and she hasn't a clue why - that is, until she begins digging.
