Bones of Holly is the next novel from Carolyn Haines in the series
that Kirkus Reviews characterizes as "Stephanie Plum meets the Ya-Ya
Sisterhood" featuring sassy Southern private investigator Sarah Booth
Delaney.
Sarah Booth and Tinkie, along with baby Maylin, are in Bay St. Louis,
Mississippi for Christmas this year, as judges for the annual library
tree decorating contest.
The other two judges are writers Sandra O'Day and Janet Malone. They're
bestselling Mississippi authors, but bitter competitors. In fact, the
feud between them is the stuff of legends. For years, they've brawled,
their sales skyrocketing with each cat fight. Sandra's most recent true
crime book documents the 1920s rum-running era of Al Capone, who built a
mansion in BSL and a distribution network for his liquor. Janet's book,
scheduled to be published in January, is a fictional account of the same
material--which only heightens their bitter rivalry.
Sarah Booth and Tinkie are shopping with little Maylin when they see
Sandra and Janet outside a bookstore, fur flying, and when Sandra
vanishes from her own gala later that night, suspicion turns to Janet.
Janet accuses Sandra of attempting to manipulate the media by a fake
disappearance, but is it a stunt, or is something more sinister at play?
Sarah Booth and Tinkie will have to dive deep into the history of Bay
St. Louis, and even Al Capone himself, to get to the bottom of this
case. But the trail in fact leads them back to several prominent
families still residing in the area. Families who may not want their
secrets known...
