Kansas Troubles

New York: Berkley Prime Crime. Very Good. 1997. Mass Market Paperback. Spine creasing. 0.92 x 6.78 x 4.17 Inches. 320 pages. Benny Harper Mystery, No. 3. With her acclaimed mysteries Fool's Puzzle and Irish Chain, Earlene Fowler introduced Benni Harper, the ex-cowgirl and quilter of San Celina, whose crime-solving talents are as colorful and complex as the patchwork patterns she loves. After a whirlwind marriage to Gabe Ortiz (and ignoring predictions that the sassy blonde and the stone-faced cop may kill each other before their first anniversary), Benni visits his hometown near Wichita. At a rowdy backyard barbecue, she meets Tyler Brown, an aspiring country singer with a promising future - and a fascinating past. Once, Tyler lived a simple Amish life as Ruth Stoltzfus. After leaving behind a stoic husband and being shunned by an entire community, she's determined to make it on her own, selling her exquisite handmade quilts to get by. But her gifts - and her life - are cut short when she's murdered. Out of his jurisdiction, Gabe is frustrated to sit on the sidelines while his friends are investigated - and furious that it's Benni doing the investigating. But tensions flare as Gabe and Benni argue about more than the murder case that's come between them. Benni tries to crack the silence surrounding Gabe's past - and learns that her marriage is much like Kansas weather: unpredictable and bound to be stormy. .