Captured, Escape, Repeat

Retta and her FBI-agent boyfriend stop in Green Bay, Wisconsin, for the night. Lars goes out on a mysterious errand and disappears, leaving a text message that says he's dumping Retta for an old flame. The police take the message at face value, but Retta, sure it's a lie, calls in sisters Faye and Barb.

As they begin following leads, they meet three sisters who might be future versions of them: Betty, a sweetheart who loves the Green Bay Packers; DeeAnne, a dramatic type who is always in acting mode; and Lydia, a business-like grump. They say they don't know where Lars could be, but something doesn't smell right at their antique/vintage shop located in an old mill, and it isn't just the many cats that roam the place freely.

Retta is soon captured and held prisoner. She escapes, is caught, and escapes again...and again because Retta isn't the type to give up. Barb and Faye search frantically for her with Styx the Newfoundland as their clumsy-but-dedicated ally. Their investigation leads them to stolen Iraqi artifacts, an old farmhouse in the sticks, and assistance from a member of the Green Bay Packers.

Knowledge is power, but success had better come quickly because the criminals' plan is for Retta - and anyone else who gets in their way - to die.


Genre: Cozy Mystery