E.J. doubts the wisdom of redheads at the beach as well as spending a week with the sisters she hardly speaks to, but she is looking forward to a children-free vacation (they’re at home with mother-in-law Vera) and some quality time with Willis. Despite the usual travel hassles, including meeting fellow Texans who give tourists a bad name, they finally arrive at a gorgeous beach house on St. John Island. The scenery is breathtaking, the weather is perfect, and everyone is clearly making an effort to be civil; maybe this won’t be so bad after all…

Fat chance. Through the use of flashbacks to various childhood memories, you quickly gain an understanding of why these sisters aren’t TV-show material. The labels applied in childhood still stick and sting -- E.J.’s the Smart One, sister Cheryl, the Pretty One and so forth. Cheryl’s husband, Arlan, (privately referred to by E.J. and Willis as “The Toad”), is a rich racist who enjoys baiting E.J. Even worse, Cheryl and Arlan quickly befriend the Terrible Texans from the plane, Bud and Marge, inviting them to join the various family outings.

When E.J. awakens to no water for her first morning shower, investigation finds a very pretty, very dead girl floating in the cistern. The rest of the house is roused, the police called in and brother-in-law Larry the Dentist identifies her as the newly hired receptionist in his office. This causes instant marital discord as wife Liz leaps to the obvious conclusion. Police Captain Robinson accuses them of bringing murder to his island and implies the murderer must be a family member. After learning of E.J.’s past experiences, he warns her to let the locals handle the matter. Although she dutifully reports such suspicious events as a strange young man following them everywhere, and the bombing of Bud’s rented cabin cruiser, E.J.’s reputation causes her concerns to fall on deaf ears. When a second murder occurs, E.J. and Willis pursue some leads of their own, uncovering the missing piece to the murders.

The main attraction in this series is the obvious strong bond between E.J. and her husband, frequently displayed through the generous use of sarcasm and the occasional foul word. If the author had left out the murder completely, I would have still enjoyed the book for its sumptuous scenery and food descriptions, the tart conversations and the changing interpersonal relationships.

Susan Rogers Cooper deftly avoided the pat happy ending she could have easily gone for. Instead, justice was served, E.J. and her sisters may have matured enough to see each other more clearly and future family holidays might be a tad more enjoyable.

--K. W. Becker