Read Murder Of A Snake In The Grass Online
Authors: Denise Swanson
Murder Of A Snake In The Grass
“Skye Denison is the quintessential amateur sleuth: bright,
curious, and more than a little nervy.”
—Earlene Fowler
PRAISE FOR DENISE SWANSON’S SCUMBLE
RIVER MYSTERY SERIES
Murder of a Sleeping Beauty
“A smooth, pleasant, and ultimately satisfying book.”
—
Chicago Tribune
“It’s no mystery why the first Scumble River novel was nominated for the prestigious Agatha Award. Denise Swanson knows small-town America, its secrets and its self-delusions, and she writes as if she might have been hiding behind a tree when some of the bodies were being buried. A delightful new series.”—Margaret Maron
“Fast-paced and lively.”—
Romantic Times
(4 stars)
“Another delightful and intriguing escapade…. When
this book reaches your local bookseller, do yourself a
favor and buy it.”—
Mystery News
Murder of a Sweet Old Lady
“Skye is a quixotic blend of vulnerability and strength….
Denise Swanson is on her way to the top of the genre….
A magnificent tale written by a wonderful author.”
—BookBrowser
“Superbly written with emotion and everything a good
mystery needs…. Shame on you if you miss anything by
Denise Swanson.”—
The Bookshelf
“Swanson’s writing is fresh and snappy…. Skye Denison [is] one of the most likable protagonists in softer-boiled mystery fiction today.
Murder of a Sweet Old Lady
is more fun than the Whirl-A-Gig at the county fair and tastier than a corndog.”—The Charlotte Austin Review
Murder of a Small-Town Honey
“A delightful mystery that bounces along with gently wry
humor and jaunty twists and turns.”—Earlene Fowler
“A lighthearted, entertaining mystery.”
—South Florida Sun-Sentinel
“A charming, insightful debut mystery.”—Carolyn Hart
“The start of a bright new series. Swanson captures the
essence of small-town life in Scumble River, and
Skye is a likable heroine.”—
Romantic Times
“Denise Swanson has created a likable new heroine
reminiscent of some of our favorite childhood detectives—
with a little bit of an edge…. A fresh, delightful, and
enjoyable first mystery.”—The Charlotte Austin Review
“Skye is smart, feisty, quick to action and altogether
lovable.”—I Love a Mystery
“A charming debut novel that rings with humor, buzzes
with suspense, and engages with each page turned….
An impressive first novel worthy of praise.”
—
The Daily Journal
(Kankakee, IL)
“With a light touch, [Swanson]’s crafted a likable heroine
in a wackily realistic small-town community with
wonderful series potential. I suspect we’ll be seeing a lot
more of Denise Swanson and Scumble River.”
—The Mystery Morgue
Other Scumble River Mysteries
Murder of a Sleeping Beauty
Murder of a Sweet Old Lady
Murder of a Small-Town Honey
Scumble River is not a real town. The characters and
events portrayed in these pages are entirely fictional, and
any resemblance to living persons is pure coincidence.
Murder of a
Snake in the
Grass
A Scumble River Mystery
D
ENISE
S
WANSON
A SIGNET BOOK
SIGNET
Published by New American Library, a division of
Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street,
New York, New York 10014, USA
Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto,
Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)
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Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices:
80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
First published by Signet, an imprint of New American Library, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
First Printing, April 2003
10 9 8 7
Copyright © Denise Swanson Stybr, 2003
All rights reserved
ISBN: 978-1-101-56755-5
REGISTERED TRADEMARK—MARCA REGISTRADA
Printed in the United States of America
Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
PUBLISHER’S NOTE
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 Web sites or their content.
If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”
The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.
To school psychologists everywhere who try
every day to do the right thing for the children,
especially my colleagues in Illinois
My sincere thanks to:
My paternal aunt and uncle, Pooch and Billie Swanson; my maternal aunt and uncle, Rosella and Joe Votta; my cousins Peter Bianchetta, Rich McLuckie, Phil McLuckie, and Tiffany and Justin Friddle; and the rest of my relatives and friends, who help my mother manage without my father.
Special thanks to my Personal Assistant and Der Webmeister, Dave Stybr, for supporting me in countless ways.
CHAPTER 1
S
kye Denison stood in the Up A Lazy River Motor Court parking lot, slapping mosquitoes and trying to keep an eye on her godfather, Charlie Patukas. Not that he was hard to spot—at six feet, three hundred pounds, with a voice that could be heard two counties over, he was about as easy to miss as the Sears Tower in the Chicago skyline.
The problem was that he and the rest of the Scumble River Bicentennial Committee kept milling around on the grandstand. To Skye, they looked like fish in an aquarium: first they all darted to the right side of the stage; then they all charged to the left.
