The Best Little Motel in Texas

Pseudonymous romance author Lane (Rent to Be) makes her mystery debut with this quirky tale of small-town gossip turned deadly. At the outset, Dallas librarian Cordelia West learns she’s inherited the Chickadee Motel from a great-aunt she never knew. Unfortunately, the motel is located in Cordelia’s hometown of Sarsaparilla Falls, Tex., where she returns as infrequently as possible. If Cordelia refuses to take over the business, her untrustworthy mother will inherit it, so she reluctantly accepts. She soon discovers that the Chickadee is actually a brothel with a surprisingly sunny local reputation. Its residents include three “chicks”: Daisy, Arline, and Belinda Sue, all prostitutes in their golden years. One night, Daisy pounds on Cordelia’s door, panicked that she may have accidentally killed her client, Pastor James Reed-Smythe. Hoping to avoid scandal, the four women sneak the pastor’s body into his church. When an autopsy reveals that the pastor died from poisoning, his son, Archer—Cordelia’s childhood nemesis turned dashing FBI agent—suspects the chicks. As they seek to clear their name, Cordelia and the chicks develop a heartwarming bond, but Lane stumbles with her overuse of Southern idioms and a far-fetched conclusion. Still, this is an entertaining cozy with an edge. Agent: Rebecca Podos, Neighborhood Literary. (Mar.)