"Hung Out To Die"

"Hung Out To Die" is, to my knowledge, the first novel I've read by Sharon Short and it's part of the "stain busting" mystery series.  As I was reading it,  there were allusions to our heroine, Josie Toadfern, solving other mysteries, which gave me the first clue that I might have missed a few earlier novels in a series.

Josie is an orphan who owns the local laundromat -- Her parents didn't die -- They just abandoned her and left her to be raised by other family members.  Although her paternal grandmother, has forbidden the family to have anything to do with her, her cousin Sally has ignored that edict and been a good friend of Josie's.

Thanksgiving is near and Josie's boyfriend, Owen, has gone off to visit his son which also means he'll be seeing his ex-wife and leaving Josie alone over this holiday.  Sally insists that Mamaw Toadfern, her paternal grandmother, wants Josie at their family Thanksgiving and Sally strongarms Josie into going.

As it turns out, Josie's parents arrive for dinner also as well as the rest of the family including her father's twin brother, Uncle Fenwick.  An argument ensues between the brothers so when Uncle Fenwick is later discovered dead, Josie's father is the prime suspect and her mother begs Josie to find out who the real killer is.  It's not an easy task and along the way Josie discovers other crimes -- some recent and some in the past -- and everyone seems to be impacted by the unveiling of this family's history.

It's a fun, light read -- not requiring a lot of thought -- but I have to admit it kept me guessing until the end -- Isn't that what a good mystery is supposed to do?  pazt