Ellie Avery is an Air Force wife, mother, personal
organizer and super sleuth. She and husband Mitch are
hosting this year's family reunion at their home when
something that sounds like a gunshot is heard in their
neighborhood. The next thing they know, a neighbor is
driving up to their house to tell them one of Mitch's
cousins, Dan, is hurt. Dan had gone running earlier that
morning. When they find him, they can't tell anything is
seriously wrong other than the fact that he passed out.
Dan is rushed to the hospital to be checked out. While
waiting at the hospital, Ellie learns Mitch's colonel has
just been strangled and is not in good condition. The next
day she finds out the very upsetting news that he has died.
Ellie visits the colonel's wife, Denise, to comfort her and
see if she can help in any way. While helping Denise go
through some mail, they open an envelope addressed to
Colonel Pershall containing a squadron coin. The coin is
almost like their regular squadron coin, but has black
skull and crossbones on it. A few days later, Mitch
receives one of the same coins. Mitch then gets a call from
Dan thanking him for sending him his squadron coin. Dan's
coin was identical to the other two.
This coincidence sets Ellie to thinking that the colonel's
death and Dan's passing out could somehow be related. But
how is Mitch involved? That question is answered a few days
later when he has a tire blow out on his car. They discover
the tire was lashed. Then a dry ice bomb blows up in
Mitch's care. Ellie becomes a super sleuth in trying to
help the police organize all of the evidence to solve these
crimes.
Follow Ellie as she goes on a stake-out and many other
antics searching for answers, all the while trying to
juggle a child starting her first day of kindergarten, a
very active two-year-old and a part-time job. When Denise
is arrested for her husband's murder, Ellie becomes even
more determined to find the real killer, putting her own
life in jeopardy.
You'll love this fast-paced novel full of suspense. Sara
Rosett also gives you an added bonus at the end of
every other chapter -- "Tips for Busy, Budget-Minded Moms."
Some of these tips sound just like Ellie herself.
For military wife and professional organizer Ellie Avery,
the hardest thing about hosting her husband Mitch's
rambunctious Southern family reunion is remembering
everyone's name. But this summer, her backyard hash is
shadowed by menace after a killer shows up without an
invitation.
Before the last slice of peach pie is served, the family
festivities are cut short by news that Mitch's squadron
commander has been strangled-- and the prime suspect is his
wife Denise, Ellie's close friend and fellow knitting
enthusiast. That same day, Ellie and the rest of the sleepy
little town of North Dawkins, Georgia, are shocked to learn
that one of Mitch's cousins--a fitness fanatic who's in town
for the party--narrowly missed being shot when he collapsed
during his daily workout. Everyone agrees that the bullet
was a stray from hunters nearby...but to Ellie the close
call is as suspicious as a possum in a persimmon tree.
As the humidity rises, so does the danger. Ellie uncovers
strange cues that pint to a sinister and deadly plan... and
the possibility that someone wants to ground her pilot
husband, Mitch-- permanently. In between outdoor walks with
the Mom Stroller Brigade, drumming up clients for her
organizing business, and trying out new recipes for
Southern-style barbecue, Ellie must unravel a mystery that
grows more perplexing every day. Because if she doesn't,
Mitch's afternoon jog just may turn otu tot be a run for his
life...