Thirty and a Half Excuses by Denise Grover Swank

Summary: "Life in Henryetta, Arkansas is turned upside down with the arrival of a televangelist, but it's the death of a little old lady on Rose's street that catches her attention. The Henryetta police deem her death natural causes, but Rose suspects foul play and so does an unlikely supporter - the president of the Busy Body Club, her eighty-two year old neighbor Mildred." 

Thirty and a Half Excuses is the 3rd installment of the Rose Gardener Mystery series, and it made me cry! I loved the first book in this series because it was ridiculous and hysterically funny but this one....whew. What a tearjerker! I hope the rest of the series has more quirky and lighthearted moments! 




351 pages