Teresa "Toots" Loudenberry has recently been widowed for the eighth time, and gets richer with each husband's passing. Her last marriage was to a total jerk and after mourning him for ten days Toots is ready to get on with her life. This lady is sixty-five, lives in Charleston, and has one daughter, Abby, who lives in Los Angeles. Toots has three best friends from high school that she hasn't seen in a long time and invites them to come for a visit, first class at her expense. These ladies are Abby's godmothers, or as she calls them "The Three Gs." Abby's job in LA is in jeopardy and Toots has a plan to help her, without Abby knowing it, and thinks the Three Gs will enjoy being part of the action.

Mavis lives in Maine, is also a widow, and lives on a very limited budget with her Chihuahua, Coco. Toots is aghast, but hides it well, when the Mavis she remembers is about one-hundred pounds heavier. Sophie is from Boston, and is as much underweight as Sophie is overweight. Sophie's abusive, tightwad husband is at death's door and needs around the clock care. Toots arranged for a private nurse to take care of him while Sophie is away. The only reason Sophie has stayed married to the old codger is that years ago she took out a five-million-dollar life insurance policy on him, and can hardly wait to collect on it. And then there is Ida who has obsessive compulsive disease (OCD) since her last husband died of E.coli and she is convinced there are deadly germs everywhere. Ida is still mad at Toots for marrying a man Ida thought she was in love with.

Chris Clay is Toots' stepson that she adores and the feeling is mutual. Chris is an attorney in LA and has secretly been in love with Abby for years, but has always thought Toots would object. He would be delighted to know that Abby feels the same about him. Chris helps Toots with a risky business deal that he is dead-set against. When the deal is sabotaged and Toots loses ten million dollars, the "Grey Warriors" get busy.

Fern Michaels has an awesome knack for creating unusual scenarios that are always solved by super ingenious females. Toots is whipping her friends in shape because they are bound to get into some bizarre situations living in LaLa Land. THE SCOOP is hen-lit at its finest and funniest. Chalk up another winning series for Ms. Michaels.