When an artist stages a display of environmental art on his front lawn, including a half-naked woman, a small Arkansas town is shocked. Next, someone sets fire to the house, which kills the artist's wife. Now who would do such a thing? Bookseller Claire Malloy investigates.

Longtime bookseller and single mother, Claire Malloy has recently married her long term beau and moved out of her less than opulent apartment into a sprawling, newly remodeled house. Her daughter, Caron, is making plans for college. All of which leaves Claire with something she hasn't had in quite a while: spare time. When her attempts to learn French cooking start getting "mixed" reviews, she agrees to help Caron and her best friend Inez in fluffing...