The Serpents Trail (Maxie and Stretch Series #1) » (Unabridged)

Sue Henry's first Jessie Arnold mystery, Murder on the Iditarod Trail, won both the Anthony and Macavity Awards for Best First Novel. Since then, the critically acclaimed series has extended to ten books. The Serpents Trail is the first in a new spinoff series starring retiree and avid RVer Maxie McNabb. Henry is a former college administrator who has lived in Alaska for 30 years.

Retired Maxie McNabb isn't sure how she'll like living on the go in her RV. But once she's on the Alaskan Highway with her mini-dachshund, Stretch, heading from her Alaska home to destinations in the Lower 48, she realizes that she loves the freedom of the road, and that she'll do just fine. Unfortunately, all is not well in her first destination, Colorado Springs. Maxie's terminally ill friend Sarah has a secret to tell her, but lapses into semi-conscious delirium when Maxie finally gets there. At the same time, Sarah's house has been burglarized, and the bumbling police have no idea why. Maxie is convinced that her friend's ravings have something to do with it. Death is approaching, and it may not be content with Sarah...

Publishers Weekly

Devotees of Henry's Alaska mysteries will be delighted to see 63-year-old Maxine "Maxie" McNabb, the Winnebago-driving, free-spirited widow introduced in Dead North (2001), starring in this gentle whodunit, the first of a new series. Summoned from Alaska to Grand Junction, Colo., to the bedside of her ailing old friend Sarah Nunamaker, Maxie and her adorable mini-dachshund Stretch wheel in just in the nick of time or do they? Sarah's final words to Maxie seem urgent, but leave her little to go on in order to investigate the wrongs to which Sarah mysteriously alludes. Much to the dismay of Alan, Sarah's adopted son, Maxie discovers she's been appointed Sarah's executor. She must also contend with a break-in at Sarah's home and her late friend's penchant for secret hiding places and secrets in general. Then Ed Norris, a college mate of Maxie and Sarah, drops a real bombshell when he reveals the identities of Alan's biological parents. A box of photos, an address on a card and a surprising stranger later lead or mislead Maxie and Stretch to Salt Lake City, where Maxie faces even greater dangers. Cozy crime fans of a certain age will love to live vicariously through Maxie and Stretch in what promises to be a long and popular run of adventures. (Apr. 6) FYI: Henry's first Jessie Arnold mystery, Murder on the Iditarod Trail (1991), won both Anthony and Macavity awards. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.