Book Review - Skeletons in Purple Sage

Skeletons in Purple Sage
by Barbara Burnett Smith
St. Martin’s Press, August 2002
291 pages, $23.95
ISBN: 0312284632
Jolie Wyatt series #5

The last time that Jolie Wyatt, mystery writer and radio news reporter, gave a party, the town was hit with a tornado. Now, Jolie and her best friend, Diane, are hosting a party at Diane's house to honor the retiring Dr. Bill Marchak and the return of close friend, Beverly Kendall, to Purple Sage. And the town has been flooded by torrential rain and the governor is in Purple Sage to assess the damage. With the governor and his wife expected to attend the party, the number of guests expected has risen from a mere fifty to a couple hundred. Jolie has it under control until she arrives at Diane's house--and finds water gushing out the front door from a broken water pipe. With no time to spare, the reception is moved to the house of Diane's neighbors, Tom and Leigh Greer. In Jolie's opinion, this will be a disaster--for Tom is Beverly's ex-husband and Leigh is the new and younger second wife.

Yet Jolie has no other choice and the reception actually goes off without a hitch, much to her relief. Beverly, with her father, accepts the change in plans graciously. Jolie feels especially close to Dr. Bill, the other honoree of the reception. Dr. Bill had attended Jolie's father during his last illness until his death. Near the end of the party, Leigh discovers that Bev's father, Henry, is missing along with Bev's car. A search party is thrown together and, eventually, Henry is found in the missing car, mired in the mud. As Jolie sighs in relief and turns around to head home, she also finds out that a body has been found in the ravaging floodwaters of Cavalry Creek--the body of Dr. Bill.

In disbelief, Jolie drives back home to find a distraught Gretchen, denying that the body is Dr. Bill's, and her mother, Irene Berenski, back from Costa Rica in a futile attempt to attend the reception. The three of them head off to the funeral home at Gretchen's insistence and discover that it is indeed the body of Dr. Bill.

As Jolie deals with a house full of guests and come to terms with the death of her beloved friend, she begins to hear gossip, started by Leigh, that Dr. Bill had actually committed suicide. Incensed with the rumors, Jolie starts to investigate Dr. Bill's death to prove it wasn't suicide. At the same time, Jolie is dumbfounded to find that her mother and the sheriff are dating. Then Leigh, who claims to have seen someone standing on the bridge near the spot where the body was found, can't be located. As Jolie tries to piece this puzzler together, she has no clue that her life is also in danger.

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