Miss Julia to the Rescue

In Ross’s delightful 13th Miss Julia cozy set in Abbotsville, N.C. (after 2011’s Miss Julia Rocks the Cradle), Miss Julia decides to tackle long-neglected redecorating projects while her husband, Sam, is on a trip to the Holy Land. Home improvement gets put on hold after Miss Julia learns that her stepdaughter Hazel Marie’s PI husband, J.D. Pickens, is in the hospital in West Virginia, where he was working on a case, and the local sheriff refuses to release him. Miss Julia and nurse’s aide Etta May Wiggins drive to West Virginia, where they wind up stooping to devious and amusing means to rescue J.D. Back home, Miss Julia has to contend with kooky Agnes Whitman, a former Abbotsville resident who’s returned with a host of tattooed cult followers. Those who like smiles with their crimes will be satisfied. 4-city author tour. Deborah Schneider, Gelfman Schneider Literary Agents. (Apr.)