Bones to Pick

Brie Hooker, vegan chef, puts her career on hold and moves to Ardon County, South Carolina, to attend her aunt Lilly's wake and help her other aunt Eva on the farm. In Bones to Pick by Linda Lovely a goat farm seems an unlikely setting for a vegan chef. Things get even more complicated when Tammy the Pig unearths a skull and some bones on the farm.

When the skull turns out to belong to Brie's aunt Eva's long missing and abusive husband, Brie is sure there will be more trouble. Nepotism being what it is, the sheriff is related to Jed Watson and it doesn't appear he wants to be impartial in his investigation. Sheriff Jones and Deputy Lawson are no friends of Eva's and would gladly lock her up for murder.

Fortunately Brie's mother is the City of Clemson's attorney and she is able to maintain some order while the investigation progresses. Complicating Brie's life is the appearance of two very attractive men - Andy, the local veterinarian, and Paint, the local moonshiner.

It's not ironic enough that someone named Brie is a vegan, but now she is asked to work on the goat

farm with her aunt. Trying to convert everyone around her to become a vegan is the most irritating trait of Brie. I always find it ironic that vegans are almost evangelical in their commitment to converting people. I don't think people who eat meat try that hard to convert people, or maybe they do.

Anyway back to the mystery. Brie's decision to investigates gets her in hot water when the owner of the nail salon, who happens to be Jed's ex-girlfriend, winds up poisoned after Brie's visit. This doesn't deter her and she coerces Paint to take her to Hog Heaven, a bar where drug deals go down and where Nancy's husband Eli hangs out. He is there even though his wife died the day before.

Brie unravels old land deals, dubious partnerships and a murderer. An enjoyable mystery with some potential for interesting future books in the series.