Choke — Kaye George

2012 Agatha Award nominee for Best First Novel of 2011

Twenty-two-year-old, unwed mother Imogene Duckworthy has been waiting tables at Huey's Hash in tiny Saltlick, TX, itching to jump out of her rut and become a detective. When Uncle Huey is found murdered in his own diner, a half-frozen package of mesquite-smoked sausage stuffed down his throat, Immy gets her chance to solve a real crime.