The Story
Is bridge champion and club woman Edie Whelan getting real forgetful, or is somebody playing cruel tricks on her? She wakes one morning to find her door unlocked, her outdoor cat inside, and the driver's seat of her car (which only she drives) too far back for her to reach the pedals. Edie's boss, library director Alexandra James, consults Edie's good friend, MacLaren Yarbrough. Could Edie be developing Alzheimer's, like her grandmother had? 

Mac tends to think Alex is taking all this too seriously. Edie is probably simply worried about money, now that her husband has died and left her finances in disarray. Edie is certainly worried about getting in this year's pecan crop out at Whelan's Grove, one thousand acres of pecan trees that pays the bills to keep Edie's dad, Josiah Whelan, in a nursing home since his stroke. A rainy autumn has made harvesting difficult. So has the untimely death of Josiah's former foreman, Pete Joyner, but at least Pete's son, Henry, has returned to Georgia and agreed to help get in the harvest. 

Oddities mount. A freshly-ironed blouse turns up in Edie's wash with fresh stains on it. A box of books mysteriously moves. A strange set of keys turns up in her purse. And how on earth did Edie's computer get swamped with pornography? 

Before Mac can solve those mysteries, she has a much grimmer one to deal with. Who hacked Edie to death in her own bed? Who on earth would want to kill the Queen of Clubs?

Author's comments on this book:

After Who Let That Killer in the House?, some of you have asked if Smitty and Tyrone would be coming back. They are back in this book, and one of them actually helps Mac solve the case. Meriwether Wainwright and her husband, Jed, are back, too, about to add another member to their family. As the author, writing this book was fun because I enjoyed the reunion with those characters. I hope you will, too.

Writing the book was also fun because I had to learn things I knew nothing about. That meant I got to spend time with interesting people as I did research into pecan groves, blacksmithing, sword fighting, and the workings of catalogue merchandising companies.  

Writing this book was hard, though, because I didn't want Edie to die. I tried hard to figure out ways to save her life. Unfortunately, Edie and I were both up against a murderer equally determined that she had to die.

Mac and I both hope you will enjoy this latest story. Let us know what you think.