One of my favorite recommendations for a good summer read is Joan Hess’s Maggody Series. The setting for these humorous cozy mysteries is Maggody, Arkansas (population 755), starring Arly Yanks, the female police of chief. It wasn’t part of Arly’s life plan to return to her hometown for work, but it happened that way after her big-city marriage ended, and she needed a quiet place to recoup and regroup. But there’s always more going on in Maggody than meets the eye, and it’s Arly’s job to sort out the facts from the gossip going round Ruby Bee’s Bar and Grill. (Ruby Bee, AKA Arly’s mother). Joan Hess is a genius in the way she has created a town full of living, breathing, and hilariously believable characters. These stories have a large cast of regular characters, along with the few questionable strangers who always seem to be checking in at the Flamingo Motel. And there’s always a murder mystery for Arly to solve. I’ve counted 16 books in the series. Hours of enjoyment! (Provide your own hammock and iced tea.)

Start with “Malice in Maggody” (first in the series).

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