Author Description

Review ''If you've never spent time with Claire and her crew, I feel sorry for you. Stop reading this nonsense and hop to it. You'll see wit and humanity all wrapped up in a nifty murder mystery.'' --Harlan Coben, New York Times bestselling author, praise for the author''A wonderfully written cozy filled with well-developed characters and nonstop suspense.'' --RT Book Reviews (4 stars)''C. J. Critt delivers an entertaining performance, imbuing Claire with quirkiness and spunk. Critt smoothly alternates between belligerent teenagers and frustrated adults who prefer the world of fifteenth-century lords and ladies.'' --AudioFile Product Description [Read by C.J. Critt]A renaissance fair is coming to the relatively quiet college town of Farberville, Arkansas. Though resistant to getting involved, Claire Malloy, local bookseller and mother of the perpetually petulant teen Caron, finds herself drawn into the strange inner workings of the group putting on the fair. But a dark mood falls over the festivities when one of the organizers is a victim of arson, and her body is found in the burned wreckage of her rented house. Someone is definitely dead -- but is it murder? About the Author Joan Hess is the author of both the Claire Malloy and the Maggody mystery series. She is a winner of the Agatha Award, a member of Sisters in Crime, and a former president of the American Crime Writers League. A longtime resident of Fayetteville, Arkansas, she now lives in Austin, Texas.