"And it seems to me like my gnomes need to revisit my front yard." Myrtle stood up from the sofa.

Perkins and Miles both started speaking at once, probably worried that the gnomes' appearance was going to coincide with their current visit and that they may somehow become enlisted. This sudden surge of conversation was interrupted as the front door burst open and Elaine rushed in with Jack in tow.

"Myrtle!" she said, running over to give her a tight hug. "I can't believe it! Dina? I never would have picked Dina for a killer. And you brought her down on your own?"

"And nearly brought the house down with her," said Red morosely. At Elaine's confused look, Red said, "Mama set her house on fire by leaving a skillet of eggs on the stove."

Elaine covered her mouth with her hands. "Did you have a lot of damage?"

Myrtle sat back down on the sofa and folded her hands together. "I was able to put the fire out before it destroyed anything. Anything, except-," Myrtle spread her hands out wordlessly, looking sadly at Elaine. "Oh, Elaine. Tragically, your painting was destroyed by the spray of the extinguisher foam." Unfortunately, it really hadn't been because the kitchen extinguisher was full of a dry material like baking soda. Myrtle had had to run it under the kitchen sink a bit for good measure.

"It was-in the kitchen?" Elaine looked a little startled by this revelation. Miles made an oddly strangled sound, which he quickly covered up by emphatically blowing his nose in a handkerchief.

"Only so I could enjoy it while I cooked," explained Myrtle smoothly. "After all, cooking is such a ch.o.r.e for me that I need something to distract me."

Elaine sat down next to Myrtle and gave her another hug. "Don't worry a bit about it. The important thing is that you're okay! A murderous manicurist didn't kill you in your yard and your house didn't burn down."

Red's face was the picture of careful concern. "Still, sweetie, maybe you could paint another picture for Mama. I know she and Miles enjoyed it so much." He gave his mother a sweet smile.

Myrtle gritted her teeth into a grin.

Elaine paused a second then said. "I hate to say it, but I don't think I want to. I'm considering taking a cooking cla.s.s, instead. Painting is all right, but it's not really as fun as I thought it was going to be. I think I'm done with the art world for a while."

Myrtle smiled understandingly.

Once Elaine and Jack left for home, Red looked at her admiringly. "All right, Mama. I'm sorry I questioned your judgment. You're obviously in full possession of your faculties if you were able to rid this world of that painting. Somehow managing to destroy it in the middle of all that chaos shows great presence of mind."

Myrtle raised an eyebrow. "So you're not impressed by my deductions, firefighting, or cane-wielding skills, but destroying art wins your approval?"

"If you want to put it that way." They sat thoughtfully for a moment."

Myrtle jumped a little as the doorbell rang. It was Puddin, who had clearly come over purely because of the police cars parked outside. "I just thought you might need some cleaning," she said with gleaming, green eyes.

"Actually, Puddin, you had perfect timing today," said Myrtle as she led the way into the kitchen. She heard Red chuckling behind her.

Thanks to Keith Snyder at Typeflow for formatting the novel, Judy Beatty for her editing expertise, and Kendel Flaum for the beautiful cover. To my family for their constant encouragement. To the online writing community for all the inspiration and support it provides. Thanks most of all to my readers.

Elizabeth Spann Craig writes the Memphis Barbeque series for Penguin Books/Berkley (as Riley Adams), the Southern Quilting mysteries (2012) for Penguin Books/NAL, and the Myrtle Clover series. She blogs daily at Mystery Writing is Murder, which was named by Writer's Digest as one of the 101 Best Websites for Writers for 2010 and 2011.

Her most recent releases are Hickory Smoked Homicide, third book of the Memphis Barbeque series (November 1, 2011), Finger Lickin' Dead, the second of the Memphis Barbeque series (June 2011 for Penguin) and Progressive Dinner Deadly, a Myrtle Clover Mystery (August 2011).

Twitter: @elizabethscraig.

Other books by Elizabeth S. Craig.

Delicious and Suspicious.

(written as Riley Adams).

Publishers Weekly: "A sa.s.sy first in a new series from Adams."

New York Times bestselling author Laura Childs: "A stick-to-your-ribs whodunit."

Finger Lickin' Dead.

(written as Riley Adams).

When an anonymous food critic blasts several local restaurants-including Aunt Pat's-Lulu Taylor and her customers are biting mad, especially when they learn that Eppie Currian is the pen name of their friend Evelyn's cheating boyfriend. When "Eppie" gets his own fatal review, the list of suspects is longer than the list of specials at the best BBQ place in Memphis.

Krista Davis, national bestselling author of The Diva Cooks a Goose: "A saucy Southern mystery!"

Hickory Smoked Homicide.

(written as Riley Adams).

Since she runs the hottest BBQ joint in town, Lulu knows just about everyone in Memphis. But one person she'd rather not know is Tristan Pembroke, a snooty pageant coach with a mean streak longer than the line outside Lulu's restaurant. When she finds Tristan's dead body stuffed in a closet at a party, the police are suspicious--especially since Lulu's developed a taste for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Caught in a situation stickier than mola.s.ses, Lulu must clear her name--or risk getting fried. "BBQ, beauty pageants, and murder a wow! I was in Southern-heaven with this one! I just love the down-home earthiness of main character Lulu Taylor a her sa.s.siness and no-nonsense att.i.tude makes her the perfect "momma" figure for this series, and she keeps her friends and family in line!"

Sharon Galligar Chance, Sharon's Garden of Book Reviews.

Progressive Dinner Deadly.

$2.99 for Kindle and Nook. A Myrtle Clover Mystery: Octogenarian Myrtle Clover isn't thrilled when her book club morphs into a supper club. But things get a little more interesting when a body is discovered during the 3rd course. Can Myrtle's sleuthing smoke out the killer before her goose is cooked?

Sharon Galligar Chance, Sharon's Garden of Book Reviews.