A Plague of Kinfolks — Celestine Sibley

A FATAL FAMILY AFFAIR
When a pair of distant relatives show up on her doorstep one summer afternoon, Atlanta columnist Kate Mulcay invites them to dinner, despite the fact that they've interrupted her cherished solitude. And although her heart goes out to the down-at-their-heels cousins who quickly settle in for an extended visit, a few days of lending out both car and credit card leave her running low on Southern hospitality. But when a dear old gentleman who lives nearby is driven out of his home by conniving relations and another neighbor is found bludgeoned to death, freeloading houseguests are the least of Kate's problems. Especially when the police name their prime suspect -- her.