Miss Ruffles Inherits Everything

September 14, 2015
Set in Mule Stop, Tex., this lighthearted series launch from Martin (A Little Night Murder) delivers bold, brash Texas attitude and small-town color. Outsider Sunny McKillip, the new personal assistant to rich eccentric matriarch Honeybelle Hensley, becomes the object of both envy and suspicion when the will read after Honeybelle’s sudden death gives the deceased’s dog, Miss Ruffles, the Hensley fortune and $1 million each to Sunny, house cook Mae Mae, and valet Mr. Carver if they take good care of Miss Ruffles for a year and then find her a good permanent home. When the dog goes missing, Sunny wonders if one of Honeybelle’s dramatic personal conflicts was big enough to be the motivation for murder. Matters such as university politics, wedding planning, and gardening-club power plays loom large. Though town residents are stereotyped enough to be easily forgettable outside of their roles, there’s much less cuteness than in other canine-themed mysteries. This sassy little story will please Martin fans. Agent: Meg Ruley, Jane Rotrosen Agency.