Celebration in Purple Sage

Celebration in Purple Sage by Smith, Barbara Burnett. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9780312145620.

Jolie Wyatt has just had her world turned upside down: the in-laws are coming back to town. Edith and Will Wyatt are perfectly kind, decent people, but Jolie has always felt that in their eyes she pales in comparison to their sons first wife. And Jolies panic over the arrival of Matts parents isnt helping their own relationship much, either. The reason for the homecoming is tiny Purple Sages Centennial Celebration and reunion of former residents, including several of the German soldiers who were interned at the POW camp nearby during World War II. Also returning for the reunion is Matts ex-wife, Cecily, who is just a little too charming and elegant for Jolies comfort. Jolie is up to her ears in family crises both real and imagined, but she may go under when murder enters the picture. Vera Meece, one of the celebration organizers, is shot to death, and Jolies good friend Sheriff Mac Donelly is seriously wounded. Trying to uncover a motive for the brutal attacks, Jolie must look to the past to prevent the killer from striking again.