A Truth for a Truth

Table of Contents

 

 

A Lie for a Lie

 

“Ms. Richards delivers another absorbing tale filled with both humor and suspense. I can’t wait to read more!”

—
TheRomance Readers Connection

 

“A jewel of a book.”

—
Follow the Clue

 

“Richards’s Ministry Is Murder series combines her skill for creating heartwarming relationships with her keen sense of mystery plotting that plays out effortlessly in the hands of her clever sleuth. Great pacing and character development lead readers through the discovery of clues and questioning of suspects until they uncover the killer alongside Aggie.”

—
RT Book Reviews

 

“Part of the joy of reading Richards comes from her quirky and fully rounded characters.”

—
Gumshoe Review

 

Beware False Profits

 

“The heroine seems so natural as a sleuth that the audience will find her investigations believable . . . She makes this a fine small-town Midwest mystery. Fans of intelligently constructed cozies will thoroughly enjoy
Beware False Profits
.”

—
Midwest Book Review

 

“I must say that I love this mystery series . . . If you enjoy testing your wits with a good mystery on cold winter nights, pick up this gem. Author Emilie Richards writes intelligent whodunits with some colorful characters.”

—
Huntress Book Reviews

Let There Be Suspects

 

“Charming.”

—
The Wall Street Journal

 

“A lighthearted study in dysfunctional family dynamics,
Let There Be Suspects
is an answered prayer for fans of the cozy mystery.”

—
Richmond Times-Dispatch

 

“A great storyteller, Richards writes a humor-filled murder mystery that works . . . She develops enough suspects and action to keep readers turning pages. She plays fair and lays the clues for the astute reader to solve the crime. This reader looks forward to more adventures with Aggie.”

—
Gumshoe Review

 

“A charming cozy, full of memorable characters, suspense galore, and the unsinkable Aggie who is at her clever best when solving a mystery.”

—
MyShelf.com

 

“Aggie is a fun character . . . A well-crafted mystery with plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing to the end. I highly recommend this book and the whole series.”

—
The Best Reviews

 

“I love her sharp, quirky voice, her rich and crazy characters, and I love that she’s mixed murder and mayhem with the church. . . . A delicious Christmas romp into the murderous minds of those that live in and visit Emerald Springs, Ohio. You’ll want more of Emilie Richards.”

—
Armchair Interviews

 

“Satisfying . . . There are quite a few humorous moments in the novel, but there’s a poignant side as well.”

—
The Mystery Reader

 

“Zany characters add sparkle to this engaging cozy, where mystery is never in short supply . . . Witty and entertaining.”

—
Romantic Times

Blessed Is the Busybody

 

“A well-crafted story with both humor and mystery. Emilie Richards has a writing style that reels the reader in with her first words. Aggie is a fun character . . . Any of Emilie Richards’s books are keepers on my shelf!”

—
Romance Junkies

 

“A delightful cozy that stars an amateur sleuth who feels as if she swims upstream against the tide . . . All comes together in this fine Ministry Is Murder thriller.”

—
Midwest Book Review
(five-star review)

 

“An absolutely delightful mystery that fans of Emilie Richards and anyone who enjoys light mystery will adore . . . This novel takes a clever and unexpected turn at its conclusion. It also marks the beginning of a new mystery series involving Emerald Springs. I think Aggie is just getting started with her sleuthing and if future adventures are as well written as this one, we are in for a treat.”

—
The Romance Readers Connection

 

“An enjoyable read . . . Any new book by this gifted author is cause for celebration.”

—
The Mystery Reader

 

“Fun and suspenseful.”

—
Fresh Fiction

 

“A cozy mystery with style. Aggie is adorable and her sleuthing efforts will fill the reader with admiration—as well as chuckles . . . Ms. Richards’s characters are particularly vivid and all have interesting little twists that make them memorable and very real . . . A lighthearted and endearing read with a great deal of flavor and wit. If you are a fan of Dorothy Bodoin and Jan Karon, or an avid
Murder, She Wrote
viewer, then
Blessed Is the Busybody
is just the book for you! Great work, Ms. Richards!”

—
Roundtable Reviews

 

“Multilayered plot, vivid descriptions, and a keen sense of time and place.”

—
Library Journal

 

“Richards writes with rare honesty and compassion and has a keen eye for detail. This is a beautiful, heartwarming story that will find its way onto many shelves.”

—
Romantic Times

 

“Richards pieces together each woman’s story as artfully as a quilter creates a quilt, with equally satisfying results, and her characterizations are transcendent, endowed with warmth and compassion.”

—
Booklist

 

“Richards’s ability to portray compelling characters who grapple with challenging family issues is laudable, and this well-crafted tale should score well with fans of Luanne Rice and Kristin Hannah.”

—
Publishers Weekly
(starred review)

 

“A flat-out page turner . . . reminiscent of the early Sidney Sheldon.”

—
The Cleveland Plain Dealer

 

“Unforgettable characters and complex relationships.”

—
The Romance Reader

 

BLESSED IS THE BUSYBODY
LET THERE BE SUSPECTS
BEWARE FALSE PROFITS
A LIE FOR A LIE
A TRUTH FOR A TRUTH

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

 

A TRUTH FOR A TRUTH

 

A Berkley Prime Crime Book / published by arrangement with the author

 

PRINTING HISTORY
Berkley Prime Crime mass-market edition / October 2010

Copyright © 2010 by Emilie McGee.

 

All rights reserved.

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eISBN : 978-1-101-18900-9

 

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My thanks to Bill Peters, whose knowledge of the inner workings of churches and his willingness to share what he knows was invaluable for this novel.

The Reverend Godwin Dorchester always claimed that he wanted to die in the pulpit, hands lifted toward the heavens, gaze riveted on whatever parishioner needed his message the most. Godwin, better known as “Win” to his congregations, thought his last breath ought to be put to good use, seeing as none would follow, and his chance to change the world would be over with one dramatic flourish.

Personally I’m hoping to use
my
final exhalations to say good-bye to the people who love me, but then I’m not a minister. I’m only married to one. And my husband Ed, Win’s successor to the ministry of the Consolidated Community Church of Emerald Springs, Ohio, is young enough that dying breaths aren’t high on his list of things to worry about quite yet.

In fact, right now my husband is worrying about Godwin Dorchester’s memorial service. In half an hour Ed will raise his own hands and fasten his gaze on somebody in Win’s honor. Because Win did
not
die in the pulpit. He died taking out the garbage. And according to Hildy, his wife of almost fifty years, the last thing Win said was “911,” which was neither inspirational nor effective. Win was dead before he did a nosedive into the garbage can and found eternal rest on a biodegradable trash bag.

“Doesn’t that strike you as some kind of divine retribution? Dying facedown in a garbage can?” My good friend Lucy Jacobs stopped slathering hummus on slices of whole grain bread at my kitchen table, and pointed her knife toward heaven in emphasis.

Lucy was helping me put together a tray of sandwiches for the reception following Win’s memorial service. She slathered, then I covered her handiwork with slices of cucumber, grated carrot, and alfalfa sprouts. Assembly-line cooperation comes naturally to us, because Lucy and I flip houses together. Compared to installing drywall, sandwiches are a cinch.