This is a great example of a cozy, regional mystery, drenched in sense of place and the rich flavor of its small town southern US setting. That flavor and sense of place is done right - with word choice and phrasing, knowledgeable description and the characteristic ways people interact. The author doesn’t cheat with annoying tricks like transliterating conversations into dialect, but you still mentally hear it in a soft, slow southern drawl. You believe in these people and this place and the problems they have, and just as importantly, you care about them. All of this is presented in smooth, evocative prose that goes down as sweet and easy as Tupelo honey, with apologies to Van Morrison. Recommended.