Think of a six-letter word that starts with B and means "a barrel of fun." Yes, "Biggie"! That intrepid sleuth from Job's Crossing, Tex., is back with her 12-year-old grandson, J.R., who has chronicled four previous alliterative adventures (Biggie and the Mangled Mortician; Biggie and the Poisoned Politician;
etc.) that have delighted readers with Biggie's offbeat detecting. When Biggie is called to nearby Quincy for a historical society meeting, J.R. reluctantly goes along, persuaded by the promise of a hotel ghost. Sure enough, J.R. hears feminine sobs from the adjacent room and bravely investigates, but finds only an unexplained draft. Next morning, however, he opens his window and beholds the lovely Annabeth, beloved of the hotel owner's son, lying in the hotel swimming pool with a butcher knife in her chest. The sheriff, laid up with peritonitis, begs for Biggie's help. The characters are real "characters," who play off each other with hilarious effect, due partly to their Texas twangs. Instead of "Hi" or "Howdy," the usual greeting is "Hidy." If you're quick, you've done something "before a cat could lick his fanny." Along the way, Bell provides descriptions of some mighty tasty meals. Stir up all these goodies with lots of small-town atmosphere and you have a confection as satisfying as the Lane cake Willie Mae puts together for an unscheduled wedding at the hotel. That recipe is at the end of the book. Enjoy! Agent, Vicky Bijur. (Sept. 10)
