Meet Isabel Puddles

Former hairdresser Isabel Puddles of Gull Harbor, Mich., the busy heroine of Byrne's sprightly debut and series launch, supports herself through small moneymaking schemes such as selling home-baked pies and hand-knitted scarves. When 88-year-old Earl Jonasson dies, Isabel accepts the job offered by the owner of the local funeral parlor to tidy up Earl's hair. While making Earl presentable for his sendoff, she discovers a nail in the wealthy farmer's head. She promptly calls the Kentwater County sheriff to alert him to a murder case. Before leaving the funeral home, Isabel is already speculating on possible motives and the culprit's identity. Her investigative technique hinges mainly on being in the right place to overhear the guilty talk about their crimes. Much of the narrative is filled with Isabel's family history, descriptions of her neighbors and friends, and reveries on such topics as renewable energy and the habits of beavers. Fans of Garrison Keillor's tales of Lake Wobegon will be enchanted. Others may want to take a pass. (Dec.)

A Michigan widow with a strong sense of justice solves a series of crimes. Famously frugal Isabel Puddles has lived in her family's Gull Harbor lakeside home for most of her life and intends to die there. Now that her children are grown and gone, she struggles to pay for the extras in life, including taxes, in an area of summer homes owned primarily by wealthy outsiders. To keep up, she sells her popular pickles and pies, works at her cousin's hardware store, and reluctantly accepts a hairdressing job at a funeral home. That's how she discovers a nail in the head of wealthy farmer Earl Jonasson. Isabel's call to her cousin Ginny, who's engaged to sheriff Grady Pemberton, kicks off an investigation that leads to the arrest of Earl's son, whose girlfriend, Tammy Trudlow, is more of a fighter than a lover, according to Isabel. Earl Jr. isn't the brightest bulb, and his sister, Meg, is furious that anyone would think he could kill his father--a judgment Isabel shares, although her loudmouthed bestie, Frances Spitler, voices an alternative opinion to a reporter. Although Isabel thinks Tammy had something to do with the death, Grady ignores her, forcing her to use her wide network to dig up clues that will prove her right. Her decision to take in Earl's lonely dog, Corky, as a companion for her dearly loved Jackpot leads to a breathtaking denouement. A charming debut featuring a middling mystery, a captivating cast, and many spells of laugh-out-loud humor. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.