The Funeral Dress
“I see you wore your funeral dress,” I said to Leah upon exiting her mother’s minivan.
We had arrived in Sidewinder for Eloise’s funeral, held at the same church as her viewing. During the ride, I’d been too busy brooding over Luke’s anger to notice Leah’s god-awful dress in a kind of murky Mars Violet. I’d seen less ruffly dresses on those old china dolls with the spooky eyes.
And better rayon on my pre-deceased Grandma Jo.
“Those ruffles aren’t hiding your chest. You just have ruffly boobs.”
“Better than what you’re wearing.” She eyed my ultramarine-violet t-shirt dress.
I had spent the night gluing black and white sequins into a large, round pot on the back of my dress. “I ruined two church-worthy sundresses this week, so this is what I have left. Besides, I decorated this dress in Eloise’s honor. It’s a Raku pot.”
“It looks like gigantic, sparkly butt cheeks.”
“That’s not a butt crack. The white sequins are supposed to represent dripping glaze.”
“Everybody will think you’re mooning the parishioners.” Leah dipped into the minivan to lean over the seat. “Let me see if I have a sweater or something.”
“Sweater? In this humidity?” The storm had passed, dropping the temperature a few degrees and replacing the blazing heat with a sultry mugginess. My hair achieved a combination of limpness and frizz that could only be saved with a ponytail.
“Thanks for driving again,” I said. “My truck cannot handle this weather. It needs a new starter and won’t crank if it’s overheated.”
“And you don’t want to be recognized in Sidewinder.”
“That, too.”
“Which is why you wore a humongous butt on the back of your dress.”
“Not every idea of mine turns out perfectly.”
“You think?” Leah smirked.
STILL LIFE IN BRUNSWICK STEW, A Cherry Tucker Mystery book 2
"DELIGHTFULLY SOUTHERN, SURPRISINGLY EDGY, AND DELICIOUSLY UNPREDICTABLE"
A Night Owl Reviews Top Pick from The Wall Street Journal bestselling author Larissa Reinhart. The second in the award-winning, Sassy and Southern Cherry Tucker humorous mystery series.
"Reinhart's country-fried mystery is as much fun as a ride on the Tilt-a-Whirl at a state fair. Her sleuth wields a paintbrush and unravels clues with equal skill and flair. Readers who like a little small-town charm with their mysteries will enjoy Reinhart's series.” — Denise Swanson, New York Times bestselling author of the Scumble River and Devereaux's Dime Store mysteries
Cherry Tucker’s in a stew. Art commissions dried up after her nemesis became president of the County Arts Council. Desperate and broke, Cherry and her friend, Eloise, spend a sultry summer weekend hawking their art at the Sidewinder Annual Brunswick Stew Cook-Off. When a bad case of food poisoning breaks out and Eloise dies, the police brush off her death as accidental. However, Cherry suspects someone spiked the stew and killed her friend.
Caught between helping Eloise’s family and an ongoing investigation, Cherry finds herself in hot water with her deputy boyfriend, who doesn’t appreciate her style of sleuthing. As Cherry calls on cook-off competitors, bitter rivals, and crooked judges, her love life steams. Meanwhile, the killer prepares to cook Cherry’s goose.
“The hilariously droll Larissa Reinhart cooks up a quirky and entertaining page-turner! This charming mystery is delightfully Southern, surprisingly edgy, and deliciously unpredictable.” — Hank Phillippi Ryan, Mary Higgins Clark, Agatha, Anthony and Macavity winning author
“Cherry Tucker finds trouble without even looking for it, and plenty of it finds her in Still Life in Brunswick Stew. This mystery keeps you laughing and guessing from the first page to the last. A whole-hearted five stars.” — Denise Grover Swank, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author
“Southern-Fried Sleuthing…If you’re a fan of Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse but could do without the “supes,” then you will love Reinhart’s Cherry Tucker!” – Fayette Woman Magazine
Find Still Life in Brunswick Stew on Kindle, paperback, hardcover, and in audiobook, plus read it for free with a Kindle Unlimited Subscription!