In A Bad Day for Scandal, the third of Sophie Littlefield's books about a small-town sewing shop owner who solves crimes in her free time, main character Stella Hardesty has to clear herself of murder, catch the real culprit, navigate her daughter's tumultuous new relationship, and face her attraction to the local sheriff – all of which she does with a sharp wit, a healthy dose of chutzpah, and a slow, Southern drawl courtesy of narrator Barbara Rosenblat.

The story begins with the return of Stella's acquaintance Priss Porter, a businesswoman with a tricky deal on the table: If Stella helps Priss dispose of the body in her trunk, Priss won't turn over a flash drive filled with incriminating photos of Stella to the police. But before Stella can get started, Priss disappears – along with the flash drive– and Stella's handprint left at the scene of their clandestine meeting lands her on the list of top suspects. As readers of Littlefield's two previous Stella Hardesty novels (A Bad Day for Sorry and A Bad Day for Pretty) will remember, Stella's not the kind of woman who waits for someone to bail her out. Instead, she and her investigative partner set out to solve the case before the flash drive ends up in the wrong hands.

Littlefield weaves the story together with a wide-ranging cast of characters: the handsome sheriff; a lusty female judge; a crew of male escorts; Stella's adult daughter; the daughter's girlfriend; and a collection of other town residents that add layers of personality to the story. Narrator Barbara Rosenblat gives each one his or her own distinct tone, Southern accent, and speech patterns, but she especially shines as Stella's narrator. A seductive, husky lilt softens Stella's tough exterior, making her more relatable – and making the story something to savor. —Blythe Copeland