The second installment in a series set in the bucolic Pacific Northwest town of Lumby picks up where The Lumby Lines
left off, with Pam Walker bemused by husband Mark’s horticultural foibles and attempts at animal husbandry as the two struggle to turn a profit at their new inn. But when the painting The Barns of Lumby
by the esteemed Dana Porter is stolen, the quiet town suddenly finds itself in the media spotlight. A slew of journalists descend and shake things up for everyone, especially young widow Katie Banks, the owner of the barns depicted in the painting. Katie is suspicious of journalists, but in spite of her skepticism, Katie is drawn into a romance with Adam Massey, a journalist who is also writing a biography of Dana. Other subplots include a monastery that makes a popular gourmet rum sauce and the sinister maneuverings of Norris Fiddler, the New York–based media conglomerate CEO owner of the stolen painting. There’s a “gee- whiz, gosh-darn-it” quality to the writing that lends an unrushed, meandering feel to the narrative as evildoers are dispatched and equilibrium is restored. Fraser’s story is pleasantly easy reading and as smalltown cozy as they come. (Sept.)
