by Ann B. Ross
Part of Miss Julia, book 20
First published 2018
Miss Julia finds herself with time on her hands while her husband Sam travels through Europe. She decides to make herself useful around town, but soon learns that Madge Taylor, the neighborhood busybody, has joined forces with the new pastor Rucker on a mysterious project. The pair wants to purchase the empty house beside Hazel Marie and turn it into a home for troubled teens. Miss Julia has welcomed plenty of people in need herself, but something feels wrong about all the secrecy surrounding this venture. She teams up with Hazel Marie to dig deeper into Madge and Pastor Rucker's real intentions. Their investigation reveals a scheme far more troubling than simple do-gooding, one that Madge herself doesn't fully understand. The true purpose behind the house purchase threatens to destroy the calm atmosphere of their neighborhood forever. Miss Julia must rally her friends and neighbors to stop Madge's bulldozer approach while still finding ways to help those who genuinely need assistance.
Genres: fiction, family-life, mystery, contemporary
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, found-family
Setting: Europe
284 pages · Hardcover · Viking Pr