When Dusty Pugh was twenty he married teenager Juney Trueblood. Three weeks later in a bar, Dusty and Juney have a fight after which he abruptly leaves and dies in a drunken crash. His family blames Juney for his untimely death. A few months later, Juney gives birth to a boy, but is not ready to raise a child by herself. She hands the child to Dusty's mother and leaves town. A year later, Juney has since remarried and is pregnant with another baby, but comes to take Dusty's child home with her.

Three years later, Juney is divorced and returns with Dusty's child. Her ex-spouse has been given custody of her younger child. When Trish Glancey, the daughter of a prominent local family, is found murdered, all the evidence points towards Juney, who is arrested. However, her former sister-in-law E.J. Pugh believes she is innocent and begins to investigate what happened to Trish.

Fans of the Pugh amateur sleuth mysteries will love the latest entry as old favorites and references from the previous novels are included throughout A CROOKED LITTLE HOUSE. However, what makes this cozy so enjoyable to Susan Rogers Cooper's fans, in turn, will leave first time readers feeling a bit confused. The books, including this novel, in this delightful series are well written, but require reading all of them or none at all.

Harriet Klausner