Buried in Beignets

by J. R. Ripley

Overview

Maggie Miller’s attempt to run from her troubles leads her to Table Rock, Arizona, her own beignet café . . . and disaster.

Welcome to Table Rock, Arizona, the place where folks who aren’t too keen on the ‘mainstream’ move to. Maggie Miller has come here to forget about her dead husband. OK, so he isn’t really dead. That’s just what she tells everybody. Recently divorced, Maggie flees Phoenix and the sight of her husband and his new wife and moves to Table Rock to be closer to her own family. She’s also planning on opening her own beignet and coffee business, Maggie’s Beignet Café.

But that dead guy in her storeroom might just put a kink in her plans. Unless she can figure out who killed him, and why, she might never open for business . . .

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781780107028
Publisher:	Severn House
Publication date:	12/01/2015
Series:	A Maggie Miller Mystery , #1
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	240
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

J.R. Ripley is the author of the Tony Kozol mystery series and other novels. He has penned novels in various categories including literary, popular fiction, mystery and crime novels, YA and children's books. As a member of the Mystery Writers of America, he has chaired the Edgar committee for Best Original Paperback novel and served on the Best Short Story Committee. As a member of the International Association of Crime Writers, he has served on the Hammett Award committee for Best Novel.

Read an Excerpt

‘She’s fine.’  ‘She’s in shock.’ The blonde’s blue eyes flashed warning signals. ‘She’s a witness to a murder. Heck, she might be a murderer,’ he said, lowering his face to mine and searching my eyes as if a written confession might be rolled up in my cornea somewhere.  ‘I didn’t kill anybody. I found him like that. Then I called Information.’  ‘You called Information?’ The medic looked confused. I guess it was because she was a blonde.  ‘Not on purpose. I got confused. Then I called you guys.’ I waved at Highsmith and the million-odd other men and women sucking all the air out of my storeroom. ‘The cops.’  ‘Do you want to explain about this Clive person I found on the ground when I got here? What’s Clive’s relationship to you? How did he get hurt? Was there a struggle?’  I swallowed a couple of mouthfuls of air. I figured I’d better get a couple in before all these people used it all up. ‘In the first place, Clive was not on the ground. He was leaning carefully, neatly, against the counter.’ I was getting a bit hot under the collar from all this negativity. The infrared light that was supposed to be used to keep beignets warm but I was using for a work light at the back counter could also have been part of the problem. I was mad, though. And tired. And just a wee bit queasy.   Dead guy, remember?  ‘In the second place, there was no struggle. Unless you want to count the struggle I had lugging Clive’s unconscious butt out of the storeroom.’ I glared at Highsmith. ‘After he fainted.’  The medic unwound the blood pressure cuff. ‘A little high,’ she said brightly. ‘But considering the circumstances,’ she glanced at the crime scene behind us, ‘not unexpected.’  I nodded.  ‘What’s your name?’ she asked.  ‘Maggie,’ I replied. ‘Maggie Miller.’  The medic turned to Detective Highsmith. ‘Miss Miller here has had quite a shock. She needs to be evaluated more fully. Shock can be dangerous if not treated.’  ‘Dangerous?’ I squeaked. What was the worst that could happen?  She nodded sagely. ‘Hypoxemia, cardiac arrest, diaphoresis, poor end-organ perfusion.’ She paused, then added, ‘Confusion.’  Confusion was right. I didn’t know what most of that gibberish was she’d just spouted but fear of them was only serving to make my shock, well, more shocking.

Editorial Reviews

10/12/2015
This fun, farcical first in a new cozy series from Ripley (Gunfight in Gatlinburg) introduces 39-year-old Maggie Miller, who has moved from Phoenix to Table Rock, Ariz., where her mother, sister, and two nephews already live. When people ask her whether she’s married, recently divorced Maggie says her husband is dead because “he was dead to me.” Maggie is preparing to open Maggie’s Beignet Café, but inside a packing box, she finds the body of her landlord, Rick Wilbur. When Det. Mark Highsmith, who has “yummy brown eyes, sort of the color of brown M&Ms,” learns that the murder weapon was a rolling pin, he takes Maggie in for questioning. Meanwhile, obstacles keep getting in the way of her grand opening—the police investigation, a bounced check, a fire, and a visit from her ex-husband. Recipes and tips add seasoning to Ripley’s appealing mix of quirky characters and slapstick humor. Agent: Priya Doraswamy, Lotus Lane Literary Agency. (Dec.)

Publishers Weekly

Those who like their mysteries relatively nonviolent and delivered with a smile will thoroughly enjoy this little gem"

Booklist

Those who like their mysteries relatively nonviolent and delivered with a smile will thoroughly enjoy this little gem"

Booklist