Emerald Springs, Ohio, is an idyllic small town with
conservative values and a strong sense of family. Aggie
Sloan-Wilcox, wife of the town's minister, while very much
committed to her husband, her family and most of the time
her husband's parish, is not exactly the cookie-cutter
model minister's wife content to solely stand by her man
and attend the Women's Society meetings. Aggie is a woman
with an innate curiosity about people and her surroundings.
Ed Wilcox became minister at the Consolidated Community
Church over a year ago and is held in high regard by his
congregation. Everything is picture perfect until Aggie
suddenly finds a naked dead woman on her doorstep moments
before the Women's Society of the church descend on her
home.
Aggie is horrified, perplexed and more than a little
curious about who the woman is and how she ended up dead on
the Wilcox's doorstep. Aggie begins her own sleuthing when
local police find few clues that lead anywhere except to
her husband Ed's door. Aggie soon discovers that the dead
woman, Jennifer Marina, does know Ed and has been seen
arguing with him. In addition, she was a new resident of
Emerald Springs and worked at the Don't Go There bar, a
seedy joint on the outskirts of town. Aggie continues
investigating Jennifer's life and discovers connections
with a prominent and snotty member of the Consolidated
Community Church congregation, Gelsey Falowell. Gelsey has
had a sincere dislike of Aggie and her family almost from
the moment they joined the congregation and has made no
qualms about letting everyone know how she feels.
Equipped with the knowledge of Gelsey's clandestine
connection with Jennifer Marina, Aggie ponders exactly how
to use the information. She begins to explore Gelsey's past
and quickly discovers she's in over her head. Aggie learns
that people aren't always who they appear to be, and the
small conservative town is simply not as idyllic as it
appears.
In BLESSED IS THE BUSYBODY, the first book in her new
Ministry is Murder series, Emilie Richards has
written a fun and suspenseful novel about what happens in
small towns. Using Aggie Sloan-Wilcox as a would-be sleuth,
who seems to have it all but is just a little bored with
her life, it's interesting to see what occurs when life
happens on her doorstep. Readers who enjoy cozy mysteries
will enjoy their visit to Emerald Springs and enjoy
watching Aggie be a little too curious for her own good.
Meet the unconventional Aggie Sloan-Wilcox, a minister's
wife with her own calling: helping troubled souls in need
of justice.
When the naked body of a murdered woman turns up on Aggie's
front porch--and suspicion falls on Aggie's husband--she
doesn't have a prayer of clearing his name unless she can
uncover the truth in a town not known for confessing its
sins.