One afternoon when Skye arrives at her grandmother's farm things don't seem quite right. Skye finds her grandmother dead in bed, her home health care aide missing. Because it was an unattended death, an investigation is required and Skye wastes no time telling her boyfriend, coroner Simon Reid, about her suspicions and the odd things she encountered when she first arrived.

At the farm Skye also manages to incite her mother's two sisters and brother and Skye's cousins, who seem jealous of Skye and accuse her of being an attention grabbing troublemaker. As the relative's argue over the settling of their mother's estate, Skye continues her investigation of her aunts, uncles and cousins, hoping that none of them is responsible for their grandmother's death.

Skye feels she might be getting close to the murderer when she beings receiving anonymous threats, unless they are coming from one of the disgruntled parents from school who may just feel Skye and the school are overstepping their bounds.

Murder of a Sweet Old Lady is a fast-paced, quick read with a sassy and spunky new heroine. Skye is an outspoken young woman who is learning how to control her impulsive outbursts, stopping her mouth from getting her into trouble (most of the time). She is smart and capable in her capacity as a school psychologist and is happy with herself, coming to terms with being a few pounds overweight and accepting the fact that she may not be ready for a permanent relationship.

Readers will feel sorry for some of Skye's relatives and will just plain dislike others. Skye is beginning to assemble a group of her own friends, including police chief Wally Boyd and childhood friend Trixie Bensen who has also returned to Scumble River.

Scumble River is the town everyone grew up in, with old time loyalties and jealousies found everywhere, making readers immediately comfortable and feeling as if they are visiting with old friends.

Once it is determined that the murderer surely must be a relative, the story takes on a closed room murder atmosphere and several well-laid clues will lead readers to the culprit early on, but even so, readers will continue reading until the very end. Denise Swanson has once again combined a charming small town setting, delightful characters and a feisty heroine and a well-plotted mystery that will have readers looking forward to revisiting Scumble River again and again.

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry