Buried in Beignets

October 12, 2015
This fun, farcical first in a new cozy series from Ripley (Gunfight in Gatlinburg) introduces 39-year-old Maggie Miller, who has moved from Phoenix to Table Rock, Ariz., where her mother, sister, and two nephews already live. When people ask her whether she’s married, recently divorced Maggie says her husband is dead because “he was dead to me.” Maggie is preparing to open Maggie’s Beignet Café, but inside a packing box, she finds the body of her landlord, Rick Wilbur. When Det. Mark Highsmith, who has “yummy brown eyes, sort of the color of brown M&Ms,” learns that the murder weapon was a rolling pin, he takes Maggie in for questioning. Meanwhile, obstacles keep getting in the way of her grand opening—the police investigation, a bounced check, a fire, and a visit from her ex-husband. Recipes and tips add seasoning to Ripley’s appealing mix of quirky characters and slapstick humor. Agent: Priya Doraswamy, Lotus Lane Literary Agency.

December 15, 2015
Maggie Miller abandons Phoenix to move to tiny Table Rock, Arizona, leaving behind an ex-husband. Her idea is to support herself in the bohemian little town by opening Maggie's Beignet Cafe. Then she finds a dead guy in a box that she assumed contained new chairs for the cafe. The police arrive and Maggie endears herself to Detective Highsmith by vomiting all over the crime scene. When the victim turns out to be Maggie's landlord, she, naturally, becomes a suspect and sets out to clear her name. In the course of doing that, Maggie encounters the usual array of eccentrics, regular folks, and hidden agendasjust what draws readers to small-town mysteries. Ripley is the well-reviewed author of eight other mysteries. Humor is a significant aspect of his appeal, and, in Maggie, he has created a quirky, vulnerable protagonist with a wicked wit. Those who like their mysteries relatively nonviolent and delivered with a smile will thoroughly enjoy this little gem.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)