FIFTY-SEVEN HEAVEN
by Lonnie Cruse
A body in the trunk of a lovingly restored ’57 Chevy causes problems for residents of Metropolis, Ill., that will take supersized efforts to resolve.
The Chevy belongs to retired couple Kitty and Jack Bloodworth. The body found inside is that of Kitty’s unpopular, sandpaper-tongued cousin Will Ann Lloyd, who had tackled them at an antique car club meeting the night before she died, calling their beloved daughter Sunny a sneak and a tramp. Luckily for Kitty and Jack, their alibi holds up, along with those of all their family members. But Kitty’s determined to find out what Will Ann was talking about. A letter to a private detective, discovered while Kitty’s helping clean up Will Ann’s house, points her in the right direction. On a trip to visit the private eye, however, Kitty is run off the road and almost dies. Though the accident erases her memory of recent events, her difficult recovery and the discovery that Jack has cancer give her plenty to worry about. Undeterred, she soldiers on, escaping the killer’s second attempt to silence her before she realizes whodunit.
Mystery buffs will have little trouble picking out the killer, but cozy fans will warm to Kitty, whose debut reveals a real talent for solving crimes.