BRINGING IN THE THIEVES - Lora Lee

Many first-in-a-series mysteries tend to be a bit choppy as the author gets his or her bearings with everything from the main sleuth to the setting to the secondary characters and their relationships with each other.  Such is the case with Bringing in the Thieves, where the mystery is solved a bit too simply (even rushed, in the end), some character motivations and coincidences don't ring 100% true, and even a couple of continuity errors jar you a bit from the story.  That said, the lead character and other residents of the fictional Ruby Springs, Texas are just so engaging and home-spun, you can't help but enjoy the book - and even look forward to the next.  Frankie Lou McMasters has just moved back to her hometown with her 11-year-old daughter Betsy, after a rebellious growing up culminated in her moving away years ago for the man she loved.  Now without her ex, Frankie Lou's come back for a fresh start but soon learns that old gossip remains - particularly in the form of old nemesis Poppy Rose Fremont, the church's choir director, who is diametrically opposed to Frankie Lou's proposal to form her own young people's choir of talented, at-risk youth - called The Joyful Noise - to help compete for the church in the upcoming spring festival. But when, just hours after the deacons approve Frankie Lou's idea despite Poppy's rant, Frankie Lou finds Poppy's body in the church baptistery, she becomes the number one suspect ... and between coping with her outspoken crazy neighbor Miss Nettie, or even crazier mother flying up from retirement in Florida to "straighten" things out, Frankie Lou tries to clear her name and stay sane at the same time.  Not a perfect book - future editions need to work more on fleshing out the mystery/sleuthing - but a fun read with genuinely engaging characters. ****

Note: I received a free ARC of this book via NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.