Lexie Lightfoot and her oh-so-pious sister Lucy Parnell are
up to their sleuthing antics again. Actually, Lexie's doing
the detecting while dragging along her older sister. After a
friend who's been helping at the café the sisters co-own
fails to show up for work, they go looking for her at her
house. Unfortunately, with the help of Lexie's recently
acquired dog, they find her buried in her own garden.
Lexie doesn't understand why someone would have killed Eleni
Andros. Since her detective friend Gabe Stevenson is out of
town, a rather brass young detective has been assigned to
the case. Since he doesn't seem to be getting very far,
Lexie decides to do some investigating of her own to prevent
Eleni's murder from going unsolved.
Who killed Eleni and why? Was the reason jealousy from
members of the garden club she presided over? Was it Eleni's
no-good nephew Nik? Or was it one of Eleni's other myriad
family members? Will Gabe ever return from his vacation? Is
Lucy's son really gonna marry a stripper? In Las Vegas, no
less? As time goes on, it becomes apparent that someone will
kill to protect themselves from discovery. Will Lexie be
next on their list?
PAWS-ITIVELY GUILTY is a definite improvement over the first
book in the Saucy Lucy series. Still, Lexie seems rather
naïve for a woman who lived in California for more than a
decade. And she acts twenty years older than her actual age
of about forty. But old-fashioned cozy fans should enjoy Ms.
Reynders' second novel. I think most people will be
surprised by the identity of the culprit. Be forewarned that
there are numerous spoilers for the first book in the
series, so one should read the books in order for the most
enjoyment.
After a difficult divorce, Lexie Lightfoot moves home to
Moose Creek Junction,
Wyoming, to start a new life with her daughter, Eva, and
opens the Saucy Lucy
Cafe with her sister, Lucy. Lucy, a staunch, churchgoing
woman, believes her
sister must remarry in order to enter the kingdom of
heaven, but Lucy isn't
having much luck in that department. Eventually Lexie
decides to live her
life without a man and without her sister's interference.
Too bad she can't
decide to keep her nose out of police business, too.
When a friend goes missing and Lexie and Lucy find her
buried in their garden,
Lexie is devastated, and Moose Creek Junction's inept
sheriff, Lucy's husband,
Otis Parnell, is no help. With the handsome--and single--
Gabe Stevenson on
vacation, the Westonville police are having a hard time
finding the murderer.
Impatient, Lexie decides to lend a hand. With Lucy's
assistance, they begin
their investigation. But when things really start to cook,
the sisters find
themselves in a heap of hot water!