"Delightful, clever debut of new mystery series."

Flip Paxton is single, 42, and maid to most of the inhabitants of Solace Glen. Orphaned as a teenager, she claims most of the older generation of women in the town as mother and has done her best to care for the many quirky, eccentric souls. Flip is devastated when town matriarch Leona Bell has a heart attack on her cleaning day. Before being rushed to the hospital by the Eggheads (the town's nickname for the twin EMTs), Leona charges Flip with the task of finding three mysterious letters and handing them over to her niece, Flip's best friend, Lee.

Lee inherits the bulk of Leona's estate, including the letters, and Flip, much to her surprise, is left the Bell family bible. Both bequests irritate Leona's brother, and he's determined to get what he believes should rightfully be his, especially the letters, which, if authentic, reveal a love affair between Civil War general J.E.B. Stuart and an unknown woman.

In between her job cleaning houses and caring for her friends, Flip studies the Bell family bible, learning the history and pain of the town's most prominent family. When strange things begin to happen to those who were mentioned in Leona's will, Flip is determined to keep those she loves safe and find the culprit.

THE BELLES OF SOLACE GLEN is a delightful, feel-good book. The story is filled with an odd, clever collection of townsfolk, all of them adding a twist to small town life. Ms. James blends history, humor and honest emotion to create the first in a new mystery series I look forward to reading.

Reviewed by Paula Myers
Posted June 12, 2004

First in a heartwarming new series. When the matriarch of the town of Solace Glen suffers a fatal heart attack, she begs the town's maid and confidant, Flip Paxton, to find three letters hidden for generations by the women in her family. As strange and dangerous things occur, Flip is left to untangle the mystery of the letters-- as well as the mysteries of her heart.