Fifty-Seven Traveling: A Kitty Bloodworth, '57 Mystery

At the start of Cruse's appealing second '57 Chevy mystery (after 2007's Fifty-Seven Heaven), Kitty and Jack Bloodworth, who are en route from their home in Metropolis, Ill., to Pigeon Forge, Tenn., for an antique auto show, are stranded at the side of a busy highway with a leaky water hose. Fortunately, Copper Penny, "country singer/songwriter extraordinaire," who's to give a concert at the show, stops her limo and offers the couple a ride to the nearest auto parts store. Once in Pigeon Forge, Kitty and Jack discover Kitty's dream car for sale in an old barn—a 1937 Chrysler sedan complete with running boards and suicide doors (which open backwards)—but Jack, to Kitty's dismay, is unwilling to meet the owner's high but reasonable price. Meanwhile, a purse snatching, a break-in at the cabin where they're staying, and the murder of the Chrysler owner's adult son provide a criminal backdrop for the good fellowship and good food that are a major part of this car cozy. (July)