Hearse and Buggy

July 1, 2012

Newly divorced and temporarily residing in her aunt's B and B in Heavenly, PA, Claire feels as if she has finally found her true home. Pleased to have her own shop showcasing local Amish arts, Claire finds that Heavenly's only blemish is local businessman Walter Snow, who betrayed the local Amish crafts people by pocketing their earnings and skipping town. When Walter strays back into town, someone makes it his last visit, killing him in the alley behind Claire's store. His bellicose widow accuses two Amish brothers of murder. Suddenly, Claire finds herself working as a go-between for the Amish and the town's new police detective, who is shunned because he left the local order. Befriending the Amish, who confide in her, makes Claire's input pretty important. VERDICT Bradford's series debut cozy is a deft puzzle that stars twin motives, revenge and jealousy. Her strong suit is how she develops the theme of finding one's way in the world. The author also writes as Elizabeth Lynn Casey (Reap What You Sew). [Previewed in Kristi Chadwick's Mystery Genre Spotlight feature, "Crime Travels," LJ 4/15/12.]

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