Newcomer Brian Grose has erected a giant, gaudy mausoleum, dubbed McTomb by the townspeople, in the cemetery where he plans to spend eternity. The ultra-conservative townspeople resent this intrusion, since they consider a simple grave marker quite sufficient. Then Ben notices blood seeping from under the door to the structure. Brian Grose is inside, shot once in the back and twice in the forehead and very dead.

Homeland Security Immigration Criminal Enforcement agents think that Charlie Cubrero, an illegal Ecuadoran immigrant who bought a gun after Brian swindled him out of $50.00, is the killer. Ben doesn't agree, and the Cemetery Association's Board of Trustees is quick to hire Ben to help clear their image and reverse the negative publicity from the matter. Ben finds several more viable suspects than Charlie, and the race is on to prove who really did kill Brian.

This book is number five in the Ben Abbott mysteries, and Justin Scott has made this character one of my favorites. Mausoleum is a fast-moving, humorous story to curl up with on a winter night. The quirky characters and multi-layered plot kept me reading right through to the end.