Y’all seriously don’t want a day in my life. I’m Casey Tucker. I live on my Grandpa’s farm in Halo, Georgia, with my brother Cody and a bunch of goats. I wait tables at Red’s County Line Tap. Sounds real exciting, doesn’t it? Not that she knows it, but I’m thinking of moving in with my sister, Cherry Tucker, who has Great Gam’s in-town cottage. And not because Grandpa’s new girlfriend Pearl can cook better than me. That ain’t it, although I’d love to tell Pearl to take a hike.
You see, Cherry has an exciting life for Halo’s standards. She’s an artist, went to art school in Savannah even. Got a mouth on her that won’t stop, so she’s always in the midst of some kind of trouble. Will stand up to anybody if she thinks some injustice’s been done. Always been like that. She beat the snot out of Jeffrey Brooks in kindergarten for making fun of Whitney Elgin’s trashy mother. And did I mention Cherry’s, like, five foot tall? Imagine her size in kindergarten. Eats like she’s a sumo wrestler, though. I don’t know where she puts it. Certainly not her boobs.
So I’ve been thinking I should move in with Cherry. Someone needs to keep an eye on her. Her friend Eloise died while she and Cherry worked an art booth at the Brunswick Stew Cook-Off in little ol’ Stillwater. Eloise had some kind of stomach disease and the police think a nutjob poisoned the cook-off stew. But Cherry’s got it in her head that someone killed Eloise on purpose. Like murder. Cherry’s supposed to be working on a big painting project for some gallery deal Eloise got her in, but all Cherry does is run back and forth to Stillwater, talking to teenage boys with neck tats and collecting gossip.
And if she’s not focusing on Eloise’s death, she’s trying to bust Max Avtaikin on his latest bingo scheme. Cherry thinks he’s ripping off old ladies, so she’s determined to stop him. You know what I think? I think Max likes to get a rise out of Cherry, just like everybody else. It’s easy to do. And he likes to make easy money, so he probably is ripping off little old ladies. But they love Max. The blue hairs stalk him just to deliver baked goods. Cherry better watch it or she’ll find herself gutted with a steel tipped cane. Those Ladies Auxiliary women can get nasty if they want to.
You know who else wants to stop her? Luke Harper, Cherry’s boyfriend and the newest deputy in the Forks County Sheriff’s Department. Luke’s getting pretty steamed with her interference in police business. And she’s getting pretty steamed with Luke for not introducing her to his parents. His stepdad is JB Branson, the local big wig. You know the type. The kind that doesn’t care for folks like the Tuckers even though our family’s lived in this neck of the woods as long as the Bransons.
Poor Cherry. She’s doomed in the man department due to the male-stupidity gene passed on to her from our Momma’s DNA. If it’s not bad enough she’s got trouble in paradise with Luke, her ex-husband Todd is still gunning to renup those broken vows. Most think Todd is a good candidate for town idiot, but the man drums better than Lars from Metallica and wins poker tournaments without blinking an eye. He can’t be that stupid. And he somehow talked my sister into a Vegas wedding even if she did annul it. Todd must do something right.
Cherry just needs to focus. That girl is worse than a Jack Russell terrier on steroids. Maybe if she can figure out what happened to her friend Eloise, she can concentrate on fixing her own hot mess.
Larissa is giving away one (1) copy of STILL LIFE IN BRUNSWICK STEW. Leave a comment to be included in the giveaway. The book will be shipped directly from the author. Contest ends May 30 and US entries only.
You can read more about Cherry in Still Life In Brunswick Stew, the second book in the “Cherry Tucker” mystery series. The first book in the series is Portrait Of A Dead Guy.
Meet the author
Larissa Reinhart loves small town characters, particularly sassy women with a penchant for trouble. STILL LIFE IN BRUNSWICK STEW (May 2013) is the second in the Cherry Tucker Mystery Series. The first, PORTRAIT OF A DEAD GUY, is a 2012 Daphne du Maurier finalist, a 2012 The Emily finalist, and a 2011 Dixie Kane Memorial winner. She lives near Atlanta with her minions and Cairn Terrier, Biscuit. Visit her website, her Facebook page, or find her chatting with the Little Read Hens on Facebook.
Books are available at retail and online booksellers.
Move in with her, Casey. And tell Pearl to take a hike.
Another new-to-me author!!!
Definitely an add to my WishList!!
Thank you for the giveaway!!!!
Thanks cyn209! I hope you enjoy Cherry’s adventures. She’s a little crazy in the Southern “bless her heart” sense. Which makes her fun to write.
Sounds like a fun book. This means a new author, can’t wait to read the first book, so I am caught up for this one.
Thanks Yifat! Hope you enjoy Portrait of a Dead Guy!
New author to me, would love to win a copy!
Good luck, Kathy!
I like it! Thanks for the chance to win a copy.
Good luck, Barbara!
Thanks so much for having Casey to visit, Dru! She loves to gossip, so having a public forum may be a little dangerous, but it does give us a new perspective on Cherry.
Good luck to everyone & I hope the winner enjoys Cherry’s adventures in Still Life!
Things will really heat up and be crazy if Casey moves in with Cherry. I think Cherry needs her privacy.
Stranger things have happened, Pamela;)
What a fun sounding book. Thanks for the chance to win.
Thanks Nancy. Cherry is a lot of fun to write. Good luck!
Sounds like a fun read – thanks!
Thanks Linda! Good luck to you!
Pamela, it may happen….
Thanks Nancy, Linda, Barbara, Kathy, Yifat, & the mysterious cyn209 for your kind comments. Cherry’s a lot of fun to write. I wouldn’t want to live with her. Outside my head, I mean. 😉
I read her first book. It was great! I’m sure this one will be just as great.
Thanks Staci! And thanks for being such a great supporter. I hope you enjoy Still Life. I loved getting to delve more into Cherry’s life and learning more about Luke, Todd, Max, and her family.
I would love to read the Cherry Tucker Mysteries sounds good I’m going looking to day
Ah, the Southern bless your heart kind of crazy. Love it!
This sounds like a fun read! Please enter me.
Ha, Cherry sounds like quite the fireball. I think we’d enjoy reading her story very much. Thanks for the giveaway.
Thanks Carlrscott. Hope you enjoy Cherry’s adventures and good luck with the giveaway!
If you move in with her, it should make your adventures more exciting. Thank you so much for this giveaway.
CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com
I agree, Carolee888. Casey’s life will get much more interesting if she moves in with Cherry. However, Cherry may not take too kindly to a sister as a roommate. Although Casey can fry a mean chicken…
Cherry is a hoot. You two together would be a howl. Thanks for the giveaway.
Thanks Pam! I like that. A hoot and a howl. If we include Tater the goat, you can add in a bray.;)
I agree with Gretchen, Casey ~ sounds like Cherry could use a wee bit of help here! 😉 I downloaded Portrait of a Dead Guy onto my Kindle Sunday and it’s waiting, not so patiently I might add, for me to hurry up and start reading it. I have read so many wonderful reviews for both of your books, Larissa and it would be lovely to have an autographed copy of Still Life in Brunswick Stew ~ it sounds fabulous and I LOVE the title and “Bless her Heart Southern kinda crazy” is the best way to be! Thank you so much for the delightful snippet from Casey and the wonderful giveaway! All my best and Happy Reading and Writing~ Cheers~ Elizabeth MacGregor
Thanks Elizabeth! I hope you enjoy Portrait and good luck winning Still Life!
Sounds like a good Southern mystery—I’d love to read it. You should make your sister’s life much more interesting—as if it’s not interesting already!
Suekey12, this is on the downlow, but Casey’s life is about to get more interesting in book 3, Hijack in Abstract, coming in Nov. Shhhhh 😉
Ooops–forgot my email in the previous comment.
suefarrell.farrell@gmail.com
Hi Larissa and Casey, et al. Just wanted to say that I heard from a “great and very reliable source” just how good that Brunswick Stew is, and looking forward to making some soon. 🙂 Sounds like another terrific book you have here, and can’t wait to read how much more interesting another book will be, as that just doesn’t seem possible to improve on what you have done already!!!!!! Keep up the great work Larissa. Give the girls a big hug from our Kaia and Esme here in MA. Thanks.
xoxo
Thanks Cynthia! You are such a sweetie! Just make sure your Brunswick Stew doesn’t isn’t “off” like what might be brewing at the festival in Sidewinder!
Larissa is a new author to me. The series sounds like a fun read. Please include me in this giveaway. Thanks.
Thanks Darlene! Good luck!
Interesting title, thank you for the chance to win this book.
wfnren(at)aol(dot)com
Thanks Larissa for giving Casey her day. I wonder what Cherry has to say about it.
The book sounds delightful – I would love to win a copy.
Thanks for a chance to read this one.
Please enter me in the draw. I’d like an intro Grandpa’s GA farm. Thanks. judydee22002@yahoo dot com
Sounds like great Cozy-Mystery.
I’m not familiar with Cherry’s mysteries, but I think she and Casey sound like quite a pair! Thanks for the info and chance to win.
Contest is closed, but comments are always welcome