Who Let That Killer in the House? — Patricia Sprinkle

MacLaren Yarbrough has her plate full -- in addition to having a lively extended family, she's county magistrate and co-owner of the local plant nursery. But amateur sleuthing may be her true calling....

Years ago, a dark cloud moved over the small town of Hopemore, Georgia, after the murder of a little girl. One man was sent to prison for life -- and two young boys were changed forever. Eventually, the skies cleared -- and although the tragedy left its mark, the folks in Hopemore settled back into their routines. But that dark cloud seems to have returned with the apparent suicide of one of the town's most beloved citizens -- DeWayne Evans, a favorite high school chemistry teacher and dedicated softball coach.

MacLaren Yarbrough uncovers more than one reason why DeWayne might have killed himself, but the evidence isn't adding up. And in this cozy Southern town, where "crime" usually involves nothing more than late library books, a murderer may be lurking in places where even sharp-eyed MacLaren would never think to look.

Southern Wisdom from MacLaren Yarbrough:
"Mama used to say that to keep the family peace, no woman worth her salt lets her menfolk know half of what she is doing or a quarter of what she can do."