The Silence Of The Library

Dear Reader,

Last year, when I was asked to join the board of the Friends of the Athena Public Library, I had little idea what excitement lay ahead. The annual holiday gala was a rousing success—despite the murder.

Two of the board members are the doyennes of Athena Society—Miss An’gel and Miss Dickce Ducote. I grew up hearing about them frequently, though our paths never crossed until I joined the board. I occasionally spotted them around town, but my family did not move in the same social circles. The Ducotes were among the original founders of Athena before the Civil War, and they have been leading citizens ever since.

I was prepared to be thoroughly intimidated when I finally met them—and I was, briefly—but their warmth and charm soon put me at ease. Diesel adored them right away, and they in turn appeared enamored of him. Miss An’gel doesn’t tolerate fools, nor does her younger sister, but they are the heart of all charitable activities in Athena. Bigger hearts you’ll never find.

When Helen Louise and I, along with my children, their partners, and our friend Stewart Delacorte, decided to vacation in Europe over the summer, I was in a quandary over what to do with Diesel. He obviously couldn’t travel with us, and I knew my housekeeper, Azalea Berry, wouldn’t relish the task of caring for him for three weeks. I happened to mention my dilemma during a conversation with the Ducote sisters one day at the library, and Miss An’gel insisted that she and Miss Dickce would be delighted to have Diesel as their guest. Diesel immediately spoke up—he warbled loudly—and that settled it. I knew the sisters would care for him and that he would be happy.

What I didn’t count on, naturally, was that the sisters would become involved in another murder while I was out of the country. In Bless Her Dead Little Heart, you can find out exactly what happened. I was just happy to be enjoying myself in Paris, completely unaware of it all.

Continue reading for a special excerpt of Bless Her Dead Little Heart.

Sincerely,

Charlie Harris