When Skye Dennison attends a country western concert in the middle of Scumble River, she wonders why millionaire Rex Taylor has chosen her tiny town. Taking in all the ambience, Skye quickly realizes Rex wants to make Scumble River the next Branson, Missouri, and is ruthless in getting the town’s movers and shakers to agree with his plans. After the concert, one of the singers approaches Skye, asking her to find out the real reason her mother died in Scumble River so long ago. Using her fiancé Wally as a sounding board, Skye gets his blessing and contacts Suzette to tell her she will try to find out if her mother met with foul play. Soon into her investigation, Suzette winds up dead making Skye wonder who hated Suzanne so much to kill her in her hometown?

With every book in Denise Swanson’s Scumble River series, I find so much more to admire in her heroine, Skye Dennison. In Murder of a Creped Suzette, Skye is now finding peace with her tiny town of Scumble River and feels in Wally’s arms she can conquer anything. Skye values Wally’s advice and feels she can help Suzette Neal find closure to her mother’s tragic death so she offers to poke around town. While most people would give up their search after the person they vowed to help dies, Skye demonstrates great strength of character to aid the police in their investigation.

Delving deeper into Suzette’s life, Skye uncovers so many suspects, it’s hard to keep them straight! I loved the twists and turns in Murder of a Creped Suzette as Skye follows the leads from Rex’s jealous wife, to a guy in a mysterious pickup, to even the concert’s headliner, Flint James, who definitely had an axe to grind with Suzette. Through it all, Skye continues to work at the various schools in Scumble River and is hoping to soon enjoy marital bliss like her brother. I love that Wally is her touchstone and wants desperately to be married to this plus-sized sleuth. I’m hoping Ms. Swanson, in the very near future, I’ll be ecstatic to see Skye enjoy her church wedding as well as delight in future episodes of not only her life but the other citizens of Scumble River who prove that even small towns have secrets best left hidden.