Hog wild

Dacus has a new sensation: a pig has gotten loose. That is about as big as the news gets in this small town, until Avery Andrews, recently back home, finds her new office still half-unpacked when Maggy Avinger walks in. Maggy has a copy of a letter her late husband sent to his attorney. In it, he arranged for a huge stone angel to stand over his grave, with a plaque declaring that Maggy killed him. Maggy's doctor certifies that Harden died of lung cancer, which makes the request especially audacious. Maggy is also offended that the statue is so tacky. Avery agrees to look into it. Meanwhile, Maggy asks her to join a rescue of native plants on land slated for development. Soon a body turns up stuffed into an abandoned mine shaft, and a string of grisly deaths follows. Each victim had received an unsigned letter listing some personal failing of ethics. Avery teams up with a good-looking reporter who seems out of place at her father's modest newspaper, and together they hunt for the link between the deaths and the person behind them. This is the third book in a series that grows sharper and funnier with each entry. Pickens brings the characters to life with warmth, and their quirks make them easy to love. Whether or not moonpies are part of your regular diet, you will feel at home here.