Belinda “Bella” Jones and her brother Bernard, owners of the Cedar Valley Residence, have put their hearts, souls, and a ton of cash into this dream endeavor. Now, after five years of hard work, their charming home is almost full of a lovable cast of residents and there’s just one more building addition they want to do.
But then Lana Norris, a beautiful area resident is brutally murdered on Cedar Valley Trail just a few feet from their property line, and their world turns upside down. Things like this don’t happen in Cedar Valley, and their residents are shocked—and afraid. Overnight their happy place has turned into a jumbled, unfamiliar world. Indeed, residents are checking out, belongings are mysteriously disappearing, the county government is on their back about raspberries of all things, and it seems that nothing will be right again until this homicidal maniac is captured.
Quickly, and to everyone’s relief, the police arrest and charge Kirby Norris, Lana’s husband. He has an alibi, but all the physical evidence points his way; and for motive, there’s a million dollar life insurance policy. It’s enough for the DA to indict, arraign, and bring to trial.
But Kirby swears he’s innocent, and so does his mother, the eerily persistent Olive Norris. She engages a slick defense lawyer, but she also calls in Belinda, a past part-time investigator to find the real killer.
Belinda has had several modest successes in the crime arena, and her possibly psychic chef-brother thinks Kirby is innocent, and worse yet, the real killer is still loose and she should take the job. But once Belinda begins, she enters a turning labyrinth that not even she could foresee. Suddenly there’s another gruesome murder, and some sudden surprises, and Belinda knows that she must solve this one fast—before she, or someone dear to her, becomes the next victim.
Uncle Si’s Secret — Reading Group Discussion Points:
1. Atmosphere:
- From author’s description, did you like Cedar Valley Residence? The way it looked? The food? The resident amenities?
- Is Cedar Valley Residence a place you would consider living?
- Did author describe Puget Sound adequately and make you “feel” you were there?
- Could you take all the rain?
2. Characters:
- What characters did you find the most interesting?
- In particular did you like Belinda? Her brother Bernard? Did you like Tessa?
- What do you think is causing the tension between Tessa and her cousins Belinda and Bernard?
- What did you think of Kirby and Olive's relationship?
3. Story:
- Did you find this story intriguing?
- Were the clues there throughout the story for you to figure out “who done it?”
- Were you satisfied with the ending?
- Do you want to read more “Cedar Valley” mysteries?
When you ended the story and left Belinda on the steps of St. Francis Church, were you left with further thoughts pertaining to your own life?