A Fool and His Honey (Aurora Teagarden Mysteries, Book 6)

From Publishers Weekly This latest in the Aurora ''Roe'' Teagarden series (Dead Over Heels, etc.) features the sleuthing Southern librarian in a gripping tale that explores the lengths to which people will go to obtain what they desire. Roe and her new husband, Martin, receive a surprise when Martin's niece Regina arrives on their doorstep with the new baby no one knew she was expecting. Several hours later, after a dinner party, Roe and Martin return home to discover Regina's husband, Craig, murdered in their yard, Regina missing and baby Hayden hidden under a bed. Roe, unable to have children, finds herself burdened with Hayden's care as she and Martin attempt to track down Regina after coming across a wad of money in the diaper bag. Along for the ride is Rory Brown, a friend of Craig and Regina's who is suspiciously interested in Hayden. Harris's story is fast paced and peopled with tragically frustrated characters. Roe, who understands the length to which people might go to have children of their own, is horrified at what she discovers. When Martin, Roe and Hayden arrive at Martin's little-used country house, several other characters, including neighbors Margaret and Luke Granberry, enter the tale. A murder occurs, with tragic consequences for Regina. While all the loose ends are tied up, the heartbreaking solution provides comfort for no one. Harris mixes elements of a cozy and her darker themes with skill and panache. (Sept.) Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Library Journal Aurora Teagarden, part-time librarian and series sleuth (A Bone To Pick), has a horrible day. First, the man who delivers her firewood inexplicably dances naked in her yard. Next, her husband's niece and new baby turn up unannounced. Then, several hours later, she discovers the niece's husband dead, his parolee buddy asleep behind the couch, and the niece missing. Left holding the baby and facing the onus of a murder suspect in the family, Aurora and hubby are desperate for the truth. Live-wire action, small-town antics, unexpected plot ramifications, and a humorous tone make for fine reading. For all collections. [This is part of St. Martin's new crime imprint, MinotaurAEd.] Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. Charlaine Harris has charmed audiences recently with her noirish cozy series starring Lily Bard. Now she returns to her cozy roots with her first Aurora--Roe--Teagarden mystery since Dead Over Heels. Roe and her new and considerably older husband Martin are settled into their new life quite nicely when everything changes with the arrival of Martin's niece Regina. The flighty Regina lands on their doorstep with a baby no one knew she was expecting, then disappears a few hours later leaving both the baby and her husband's brutally murdered corpse in her wake. Roe and Martin must try to answer all the questions in this sticky case: whodunnit, why, and where (as in, Where the heck did this baby come from?). Fans of Roe's earlier exploits and of Lily Bard will be delighted by Harris' reprisal of the Teagarden series. Auroras been around long enough to know that when a day starts out with your handyman going crazy in your front yard, it probably wont get any better. Sure enough, her husband Martins niece Regina shows up with a baby whom no one knew she was expecting. Then she disappears, leaving behind the childand a murdered husband. To find her, Roe and Martin retrace her steps from sunny Georgia back to snowy Ohio, where they will uncover dark family secretsat their own peril. When Aurora Teagarden's delivery man goes crazy in her backyard, Aurora finds herself investigating a series of increasingly mysterious events, culminating in an ax murder