by Joan Hess
First published 1994
Police Chief Arly Hanks thought her biggest problem was surviving another quiet holiday in Maggody, Arkansas, population 755. Then country music superstar Matt Montana announces he's coming home for Christmas, and the cash-strapped town goes wild with excitement. Mrs. Jim Bob sets up souvenir shops, Ruby Bee's Bar & Grill doubles beer prices, and tourists flood the tiny Ozark community. But the celebration turns dark when Matt's elderly Aunt Adele vanishes from her nursing home without a trace. Arly searches everywhere with a borrowed tracking dog but finds nothing. As she digs deeper into the mystery, she discovers Matt's entourage harbors dangerous secrets. His manager uses blackmail as a business tool. His wife might kill to protect her marriage. A young female singer has captured Matt's wandering attention. When someone ends up dead and the unlikely Dahlia Buchanan confesses to murder, Arly must untangle the web of lies surrounding the country star's private life. The truth involves moonshiner Raz Buchanan's pig Marjorie in ways no one expects.
Genres: mystery, crime, contemporary, thriller
Vibes: cozy, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Maggody, Arkansas, Ozark
Period: Christmas
Mass Market Paperback · Onyx