Jackson's daughter Patty likens the two of them to the main characters in To Kill a Mockingbird and then the author goes nowhere with that. I expected some Nancy Drew-ing from Patty, but she's a more typical teen who finds her father's sexual renaissance embarrassing.
There's definitely something sinister going on in town even before women start getting bludgeoned to death. Fortunately, this is a cozy, so the women are "deserving" - either bitchy or slutty.
The denizens of this small Texas town are impossible gossips, so news travels fast and everyone has an opinion. There is a newcomer in town whose job is to gently renovate small towns like this - and she becomes the object of speculation when Jackson takes an interest in her. But is she all she seems?
“Biggie and the Devil Diet”
Once again, young J.R. faithfully narrates the humorous exploits of Biggie, his grandmother. Filled with plenty of quirky characters and down-home Texas flair, Bell's stories continue to delight.
An old friend of Biggie comes back to Job's Crossing. Rex Barnwell and his young wife have returned to convert his father's ranch into a retreat for overweight teenage girls, and Biggie is forced to reveal a secret that she has always kept from J.R.
Not long after this startling revelation, Rex is murdered. Knowing full well that he won't be able to keep Biggie away, the Texas Ranger in charge of the case enlists her help. While Biggie pursues her investigation, J.R. has his hands full with troubles of his own.
These troubles don't involve any murders-though it might be easier for J.R. if they did.
"Paint the Town Dead"
From the beloved author of the
Biggie Weatherford mystery series comes this third thrillin’ installment
featuring Texas judge Jackson Crain.An old love, a new flame, and the murder of a real estate tycoon thrust County Judge Jackson Crain smack in the middle of the most baffling case he has ever seen. Add a glamorous lady evangelist and a victim’s tippling wife, and suspects abound.
It is only through delving into the past that Jackson is able to unravel the mystery and see the killer brought to justice.
Paint the Town Dead is a sure-to-please cozy that should win Nancy Bell many new fans.
The people of small towns are more interesting, more open-minded, and more intelligent than contemporary society portrays them. At the same time, the author includes individuals with idiosyncrasies and eccentricities that do exist in small Southern towns, almost without exception. Reading them feels like going home.
Bell was an Assistant Professor at Washington State University, with research interests in L2 language play and humor, cross-cultural interaction, and the development of L2 sociolinguistic competence. Her work has appeared in many linguistics journals
