MISS JULIA LAYS DOWN THE LAW

A Southern gentlewoman’s nerves are shredded after she finds a body—and not for the reason you’d expect.

The emphatically married Miss Julia Murdoch is beside herself after attending a coffee meeting at the home of Connie Clayborn, a newcomer to Abbotsville. Nor is she the only one offended by the oblivious Connie’s rant about what’s wrong with their town and how she proposes to fix it. Julia contents herself with grumbling to her like-minded friends and avoiding Connie until her pastor, swearing her to secrecy, begs her to go see Connie and ask her to apologize to his wife, Emma Sue Ledbetter, who suffers from migraines and low self-esteem. Emma Sue has been devastated ever since Connie criticized her pet project, the town park. Much against her will, Julia sallies forth, only to find Connie dead in her kitchen. Asking the guard at the gated community to call the police, she returns home and discovers that she’s the leading suspect. The police have heard all about Julia’s dislike of Connie’s plans, but she won’t break her promise to keep the reason for her visit confidential until she sees Pastor Ledbetter, who’s evidently doing everything possible to avoid her. With her husband out of town, Julia does a little sleuthing of her own with help from a likable petty criminal, but her efforts to prove her innocence only get her in more trouble. 

Can Julia, now in her 16th installment (Miss Julia’s Marvelous Makeover, 2014, etc.), possibly be as naïve as she continues to appear? Die-hard fans will brush this question aside and relish the surprise ending.