COLD TURKEY

A Virginia café owner probes the murder of an unpopular public official.

As she prepares to open Cookin’ the Books, her literary-themed eatery, Tish Tarragon is also looking forward to a romantic Thanksgiving dinner for two with her new boyfriend, Sheriff Clemson Reade. At the annual village Turkey Trot footrace, however, someone with a high-powered rifle manages to blow a hole in both her plans. The victim, Deputy Mayor Royce Behrens, seems like such an innocuous target that everyone assumes the intended victim must be Mayor Schuyler Thompson, Tish’s former main squeeze. But although Tish’s parting from Schuyler was anything but amicable, she still has a hard time believing that anyone would want to kill the irascible mayor. What firmly cements her conviction that Royce was the intended victim all along are her chats with the friends and family of the late unlamented. Everyone, from former town council secretary Faye Wheeler to Royce’s own mother, Annabelle, had reason to resent the shady philanderer. Once her ex is no longer seen as the real victim of the shooting, Tish is free to join Sheriff Reade on the hunt for the killer. Meade introduces readers to the quirky residents of rural Hobson Glen as Tish balances her investigation with her need make sure all her buddies get the convivial Thanksgiving meal they deserve.

A good-natured look at a pretty mean-spirited crime.