“She craved a tall glass of the fresh-squeezed lemonade from the pitcher she’d left chilling in the fridge. Two glasses served with a generous slice of pound cake with orange glaze icing sounded twi...”

“Nozy Cat lifted one sleepy eyelid, and his marble blue eye glared at her for interrupting his sacred nap. He wore a yellow collar with little red stars printed on it. His second eyelid also opened,...”

“Youre a nosy sleuth like me because you cant help it, Alma said.”

“The busy snoops like us can leave no stone unturned," Alma said.”

“A single poemis worth a hundredcozy winter nightskind wordsand healed wounds.”

“Father and Ivy used to go off on their excursions, never knowing that I was relieved when they were gone. That I'd wear my nightgowns all day and read from dawn till dusk.”

“Sheriff Fox was running his fingers through his thin hair. In a few short years, hed look bald as a peeled apple. The Snoop sisters and their sidekick, the towns bag lady no less, had traipsed into...”