"With a voice that's as comforting as a rock­ing chair and as salty as a fisherman" (Houston Chronicle, of Houston in the Rearview Mirror), Deputy Sheriff Milton Kovak of Prophesy County, Oklahoma, returns.

Milt finally gets up the nerve to ask his longtime ladylove, Glenda Sue Rainey, to marry him—only to be rebuffed with no explanation and a good-bye at the door. When Glenda Sue is found dead the next day, brutally murdered, Milt is dazed.

Enter Glenda Sue's long-lost daughter, who arrives in town for the funeral with her own little girl in tow. The only problem: little Rebecca is half-black, and the residents of Prophesy County aren't all as open-minded as Milt. As the threat of more violence looms, Milt begins to have strange dreams about Rebecca's safety, dreams whose common feature is the presence of a woman with leg braces.

These dreams lead him to Dr. Jean McDonnell, a handicapped psychiatrist, whom Milt enlists to help him find out what happened to Glenda Sue—and why. When sister Jewel Ann announces plans to move herself and her family out of Milt's house and into the home of Harmon Monk, Milt begins to see Dr. McDonnell as having a role to play in his personal life as well. **

Sheriff Milt Kovak, having joined his psychiatrist wife on a trip to a conference in Las Vegas, expects a welcome vacation, inspecting the casinos. He has left a capable second-in-command to watch over his small town in Oklahoma, but almost as soon as they arrive, Milt gets an S.O.S. call from his cousin Maida. Her pregnant daughter has been beaten by her husband, and Maida's husband, Burl, has thoroughly trounced his son-in-law. The young man is the son of a very powerful businessman in Vegas, and the police want to lock Burl up.

Milt manages to talk his fellow cops into giving him custody of Burl until the trial and takes the still-steaming man to their hotel room; Burl reciprocates by disappearing. Milt doesn't think anything else can go wrong---except it does. The next morning, the young man is found dead.

Now Milt must forego the wonders of Las Vegas to try to find Burl and clear him from the charge of murder. He expects to get some help from the young widow's several brothers, who descend on the town "volunteering to help." But they are more involved with quarreling among themselves than in finding the murderer.
Will Milt hit the jackpot? Susan Rogers Cooper has upped the ante with her latest, a fun-filled, adventure-packed addition to this consistently entertaining series.

Chief Deputy Milt Kovak of Prophesy County, Oklahoma Sheriff's Department had a rapist and murderer on his hands. To make the whole thing really stink, the victims were little old ladies, the nice cookie-baking, sweater-knitting kind.

His prime witness is Mrs. Laura Johnson-about thirty-five, three kids, and absentee husband-the sexiest woman Milt had ever seen. She'd identified a man in a green Chevy emerging from the murder scene. Find that man, he figured, find the killer.

Between digging unsuccessfully for leads and fighting-equally unsuccessfully-his growing attraction for the warm and inviting Laura, Milt figures the only solution is a new line of work. But Milt Kovak's not the kind of guy to take the easy way out-not when there's a crazed killer waiting eagerly to help him.

After almost ruining her marriage to husband Willis months earlier because of her habit of involving herself in murder cases, E.J. Pugh is determined to stay out of drama and pay attention only to her husband, children and writing career. How hard can it be? But through no fault of their own, E.J. and Willis are plunged into another crisis when someone chooses Willis’ truck to hide a satchel. Finding the satchel with no ID inside, their foster daughter Alicia decides to make it her new backpack. When Alicia suddenly disappears, along with the satchel, E.J. and Willis are beside themselves. Why is the satchel important and, more importantly, where is Alicia? Can they find answers before it’s too late?

Review

“A rollicking mystery with plenty of red herrings and amusing characters who could have been friends of Stephanie Plum”
Kirkus Reviews on Gone in a Flash

About the Author

Susan Rogers Cooper was an administrator for a medical malpractice company for many years. She also volunteered at a battered women's shelter in Austin where she set up a training program for new volunteers. She lives in Lockhart, Texas.