Evans's (Barking!) hip, zany PI, Grace Smith, has landed in the midst of mischief once again, and as always, her investigation provides plenty of laughs, fast-moving action and suspense. What kind of person decides to leave a considerable fortune to total strangers? Grace is about to find out when Barbra Delaney retains her services to trace a group of people she photographed at the grocery store. One or more of them may become her beneficiaries. Beneath the sunshine and bucolic splendor of Seatoun, Grace's stomping ground, none-too-savory activities are in progress. For starters, Barbra thinks her grown son may be trying to do her in. In no time, Grace encounters a dead body, a smuggling ring, a gorgeous man in drag and enough tangled family relationships to make celibacy seem viable. In addition, she must contend with an eccentric cast of locals whose agendas are, more often than not, at odds with her own. Evans excels at describing life in a small village. As Carter, the postmistress's grandson says, "It's deadsville, this place. It's where lobotomy donors go to retire." Once Grace is on the scene things certainly liven up. Whether suffering from food poisoning or the effects of twenty-mile bike rides when her car breaks down, she's always on the case, even if she doesn't have a clue where it will lead. (June 1)
