There is much to enjoy in this debut novel: teasing plot, tangible descriptions of life in modern North Carolina and best of all, the author's admirable talent for depicting the magic of clay. Surely one of the joys of the cozy sub-genre is its tendency to fill books not only with bodies but also with enjoyable descriptions of people's hobbies and passions. Every chapter in this beautifully-paced novel is headed by a quote about the potter's world, and at the back is a double page spread of some amazing southern face jugs to admire. After reading only a few pages into this novel, I felt my fingers itching for some clay, and relived the therapeutic and elemental feeling of working with this ancient and organic substance. Add to this heady mix a good story, some likeable (and hissable) characters and you have a winner that stays pleasantly in the mind afterwards, the sign of a good book.