SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY WITH A SMIDGEN OF HOMICIDE
USA Today Bestselling author Tonya Kappes brings you southern and quirky characters in her mystery series. Her stories are charged with humor, friendship, family and life in small southern towns.
Welcome to Normal where nothing is normal!
As we say in the south beauty is only skin deep but ugly…now that runs straight to the bone.
When Miss Daniel Boone Days is murdered and our good friend Helen Pyle, owner of Cute-icles beauty salon is standing over our beauty queen with a gun, lets just say Helen didn’t giddy up on out of there.
Nope. She was hauled down to the sheriff’s department and booked for murder.
Ranger Tucker Pyle is taken off the case because let’s just say he knows his Aunt Helen didn’t do it, but who better to snoop around to help him out?
Yep! You guessed it!
The Laundry Club Ladies and Mae West once again find themselves with their sleuthing notebook in hand and get all gussied up to find out just who is behind the murder.
After all everyone has beauty but not everyone sees it.
Over the past few months my love life has been on what you’d call a slippery slope. Just this past week I’d resigned to the fact that me and Hank Sharp was caput! Done with. No more!
And when I got a phone call during Bobby Ray’s meeting with his birth mother from Hank, I felt like I was wrapped up between a nightmare and a dream.
Let me cut to the chase.
Hank’s best friend Jerry Truman is a local private investigator and he’s got a HUGE case that includes a dead body. Of course I’ve not stuck my nose in it because honestly it has nothing to do with me. Those are the kinda murders I like, but now that Hank has told me he’s back and helping Jerry, and get this…they need me to use my sleuthing skills to help them, it’s now my business.
One, because I love to snoop and two because by the sound of things, Hank Sharp misses me as much as I miss him.
You see, this case will be a double win!
At least that’s what I thought until I’m the one staring into the barrel of a shot gun when I found out a little too much information.
The last thing Normal needs is Dottie Swagger or Mary Elizabeth Moberly as the Ms. Blossom Festival Queen.
I thought I had my hands full when Dottie Swaggert and Mary Elizabeth Moberly entered the Ms. Blossom Queen Beauty Pageant for seniors but when I witnessed a fight at the festival between Carrie Patillo and Jason Dresser, Carrie’s daughter’s accused killer, I knew Jason was wrongfully accused for the murder and set up.
How was I going to prove it before the trial started?
Easy. Gather the Laundry Club Ladies and use our unique sleuthing skills. Right?
Wrong!
After we uncovered some evidence of blackmail and head on over to tell Jason what we found out. . .we found out something alright. The true killer got to Jason first.
If that wasn’t enough to deal with, Bobby Ray Bond found his real mama. With her impending arrival, we Laundry Club Ladies have our hands full with Blossoms, BBQ, & Blackmail.
Welcome to Normal where NOTHING is normal!
Let me be the first person to welcome you to Normal, Kentucky located in the heart of the Daniel Boone National Forest. I’m Mae West the owner of Happy Trails Campground.
Fall at the campground is my favorite time of the year. The bursts of orange, yellow, green, and red pop on the falling leaves, creating a colorful path along the trails for all of my guests at my campground is a real life picture that could never be captured by a camera.
Days are warm and at night you need a light sweater to enjoy the campfire or snuggle up in a cozy blanket.
The campground is full and the campers are excited to participate in Normal’s annual Pumpkin Carving Carnival.
It’s a little spooky seeing the hundreds jack-o-lantern faces all light up with toothless or toothy smiles.
It’s the dead body among them that chills me to the bone.
