I want to nominate Theo Abernathy for best friend ever. My name is Nina Crisp and like Theo, I grew up in tiny Silersville, Tennessee. After college, Theo worked in textiles for a while before reconnecting with Tony Abernathy and they married. They lived in Chicago for a while. Now, Tony is our county sheriff as well as being a really nice man. After college, I married Daniel and had a family. Daniel was not a good husband and our divorce contentious.
I teach high school French. A fabulous opportunity arose and I was allowed to drive the school van, with some students, for several days in Washington DC. On my return, I was met at the school by Tony. Did I mention he is very tall and muscular? Well, when he’s all decked out in his uniform and tools of his trade, he is impressively intimidating. He was definitely not smiling as he drove me to my home.
He didn’t say much but I learned there had been a problem with the water at my house while I was away. When the water department people couldn’t find me, they called Theo. Thank goodness I don’t live in some city where no one knows you or is willing to get involved. Anyway, Theo went out to my house to see what’s was happening and saw water pouring out from under the front door and down the steps. She knows the alarm code to open the kitchen door. The moment she opened the door, she saw water cascading from the kitchen ceiling.
I turn my cell phone off while I drive so Theo couldn’t reach me. She had the water turned off and called a disaster clean-up company. The clean-up crew was busy vacuuming gallons of water out of everything when someone noticed water going under the front door and down the steps. It vanished under the cover on the old storm cellar. When they opened it, there dead in the water was my worthless ex-husband. No wonder Tony looked so grim.
Murder by Kindness is the seventh book in the “Quilted” mystery series, published by Five Star, February 2016.
The residents of tiny Park County, Tennessee are looking forward to the end of winter and plan to celebrate Valentine’s Day with a community fund raiser. Sheriff Tony Abernathy’s dream of a crime free county explodes, along with an illegal still. The moonshine is missing. The arrival of a popular young movie star, with an unsavory entourage, promises to keep his small staff busy.
Theo, Tony’s wife and quilt shop owner, is pulled away from work by a phone call. Water is pouring out of her best friend Nina’s home. Theo arranges to have the water shut off and puts a restoration service to work. But, the discovery of Nina’s ex-husband’s corpse in the storm cellar stops everything.
The county chaos increases with another suspicious death, the arrival of some extra wives, exploding stills and Cupid leaving a trail of paper hearts.
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About the author
Barbara Graham began making up stories in the third grade instead of learning to multiply and divide. A native Texan, she moved frequently. Inspiration for Silersville (home of her imaginary friends) comes from her Tennessee period. Murder by Kindness: The Gift Quilt is the 7th in the series. Visit Barbara at www.bgmysteries.com
Giveaway: Leave comment below for your chance to win a print copy of Murder by Kindness. US entries only, please. The giveaway will end February 26, 2016 at 12 AM EST. Good luck everyone!
All comments are welcomed.
Looks like a really good book in a good series Thanks for the chance 2 win a copy
Another series and author to add to my reading list. Great review and thanks for the chance to win.
This is a new to me author and series. I love southern cozies. Thanks
Another new to me series. It sounds good to me!
This sounds like a terrific read! Another new author/series – where do you find them all and I don’t!?!
Barbara Graham is another “new-to-me” author. Murder by Kindness sounds like a fun read. Thank you for the introduction and this chance.
Interesting! Thanks Dru and Barbara for today’s new book and opportunity to win!
This book sounds intriguing and unique. Thanks for this great giveaway.
This sounds like a fun series that I hadn’t heard of before. Thanks for the chance to win a copy.
Sounds like a fabulous read.
Wow! Sounds like a trail of corpses and lots going on. Exciting read. I’d love to win this one!
Good morning great blogger Dru! And her fans. Thanks for your comments. A quick word of warning–the hardcover books have not arrived as yet. The winner will get theirs, just not as quickly as I planned. I will try to come up with something to occupy the winner until delivery. Maybe a different book in the series. Hmmm.
Definitely a new twist on murder of the ex – adding this one to my TBR list. Thanks Dru and Barbara. You are both very kind.
Thank you Dru Ann for providing information of this new book. I’m not familiar with Barbara Grahams books and will definitely be adding this one to my list of to be read books. robeader53@yahoo.com
Sounds like a fun read. Love mysteries in rural settings. And add in quilting, you can’t go wrong.
This would be a great title to add to my cozy challenge list. Thanks for a chance to win a copy.
Seems like a series I need to read! I am definitely putting this author and series on my tbr list.
Seems like my type of series
What a dreadful surprise to return home to.
Just requested the series from my library – thanks for the review and introduction.
It sounds like and interesting read.
Thanks for the introduction to a new (for me) series & author!
Thank you, Dru!. The winner of the drawing will receive a copy of Murder by Vegetable to hold until I can send Murder by Kindness. And no, the killer was not the zucchini.
Sounds like a great read. Thanks for the chance to find out.
How have I missed this series? It sounds right up my alley.
Sounds like a wonderful series; I definitely want to add to my TBR list. Would be fun to win; thank you for another great giveaway opportunity.
A new one! Looks like a great read. It would be the pits to find your ex dead in the cellar. And suspicious. Would like to see how they find the killer. Thanks for this chance to get the book and find out.
New-to-me author/series….
Thank you for the heads-up…..