Death and the Walking Stick — Linda Berry

The victim was dubbed an unpleasant old turkey buzzard and, truthfully, few mourned the passing of elderly Althea Boatright. After all, the cantankerous old biddy had recently run down a pedestrian with her car, due to poor eyesight and her little dog tangled at her feet. Ogeechee, Georgia, police officer Trudy Roundtree had the dubious honor of confiscating Althea's driver's license--and, sadly, regarding her lifeless body beside her bathtub. An accident, obviously.

But Althea's longtime friends Lulu, Martha and Ellen disagree. The telltale clue: a walking stick, found near the body, that wasn't Althea's. Trudy can only keep an eagle eye on the bridge-club bunch as they set out to prove Althea was murdered...and why.

But before long, she joins their investigation, as shocking revelations about Althea's past and present expose secrets worth killing for.