O Little Town of Maggody — Joan Hess

MISTLETOE -- AND MURDER...

Chief of Police Arly (Ariel) Hanks is still hiding out in her hometown of Maggody, Arkansas (pop. 755), the land of moonshine, Ruby Bee's Bar & Grill, Nashville on the radio, cheatin' hearts and, well, maybe murder. Matt Montana, country music's superstar, has come home to Maggody for the holidays. For a town in the grip of a recession, the news means Christmas is bringing a savior. Only one thing is missing: Matt Montana's Aunt Adele, who has mysteriously disappeared. Arly can find neither hide nor hair nor corpse of her. What she does discover is a manager who isn't above using blackmail, a wife who may be willing to kill to keep her man, and a pretty young singer who is giving Matt Montana an achy-breaky heart. Is one of them a murderer? Of course it's left to smart and spunky Arly to save Christmas for the wacky, delightful community of Maggody, where anything can happen--and usually does.