By Joan H. Young

Anastasia Raven flees the suburbs after a painful divorce. She finds solace in working on an old fixer-upper farmhouse far to the north in Dead Mule Swamp. She is quickly drawn in to the local crime scene, but she has things to learn about how small towns work. Over the course of the series, Ana becomes known for her ability to help solve murders. Her friends are often involved in the sleuthing and shenanigans. Adele, proprietor of Vogel's Grocery, and Cora, the local historian are her closest confidants. Jimmie, a boy with a sad story, enters in book two, and takes an increasingly stronger role as the series progresses. Jerry, owner of the newspaper, Charlie the pharmacist, Police Chief Tracy Jarvi, and many other characters round out the small-town atmosphere. If you live in the rural Northwoods, you will find the settings wonderfully familiar.