Ministry Is Murder

Ain't that the truth! At least it is in this delightful cozy series by Emilie Richards. The main character is Aggie Sloan-Wilcox whose husband Ed was recently called as the new minister for the Consolidated Community Church (Tri-C for short) in Emerald Springs, Ohio. Ed, a scholar at heart, accepted the position because Emerald Springs has a small liberal arts college where he hopes to be able to spend time doing his research.

In the first book, Blessed Is the Busybody, Aggie is spending her time getting the family settled into their new surroundings, taking care of her two daughters, the serious kindergartner Teddy and popular teenager Deena, and trying to get along with the new congregation. Tri-C's Women's Society board, however, is makingher life a little more difficult than necessary. Especially since board members feel free to pop in and make decisions about everything to do with the parsonage, including what flowers and shrubs she should grow. Women's Society President Gelsey Falowel in particular bears a grudge against Ed and seems determined to find a way to get rid of Ed. The situation does not improve when the naked body of a woman Ed had been counseling is discovered on the parsonage front porch just as the Women's Society is inspecting the lawn.

As you would expect, Aggie is strictly instructed not to go poking her nose into this mess. But, as you would also expect, with her husband's job and her family's stability on the line, how can she stay out of it? She enlists the aid of her new best friend Lucy to solve the murder, clear her husband's good name, and secure her family's future in Emerald Springs.

I really like Aggie and her whole family, kids included. Emilie Richards draws the family and tells the story with a quirky sense of humor.