The Best Little Motel in Texas - by Lyla Lane (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A charming, edgy mystery about a young woman who unexpectedly inherits the best little motel in Texas - replete with a feisty set of golden working girls, a poisoned priest, and a sleepy hometown thrown into chaos.

After a childhood spent combing the dive bars of Sarsaparilla Falls to collect her fun-loving momma, Cordelia West now enjoys a simple, respectable life in Dallas. Then one phone call from the hometown she's spent years trying to forget throws it into chaos.

Cordelia's great-aunt Penelope has passed away, naming Cordelia the sole heir to the Chickadee Motel. She has no memory of a great-aunt and no interest in hospitality, but the will stipulates that the motel can't be sold until its residents leave or pass away - so she reluctantly heads back down to Sarsaparilla Falls to figure out who's living in the Chickadee, and how to get them out.

But upon her arrival, Cordelia discovers the Chickadee isn't a motel--it's a brothel, housing three women in their sixties known as the Chicks. For decades, Daisy, Arline, and Belinda Sue have entertained the men of Sarsaparilla Falls (with their wives' blessings)--including the upright Pastor Reed-Smythe, who thunders against the town's favorite sins when he's not indulging. Cordelia doesn't want to be a hotel manager or a madam, but she can't just sell the only home the Chicks have known--especially not after the pastor is found poisoned in Daisy's bed.

With the Chicks--and the town--on the verge of a breakdown, Cordelia steps up to mop up the mess. For a small town, there are plenty of suspects: could it be the obsessed nurse with access to arsenic? Developers eager to gobble up the land? The righteously angry town librarian? Things are heating up in Sarsaparilla Falls, and with the Pastor's obnoxiously attractive son Archer--Cordelia's childhood nemesis--investigating the Chicks and getting close, straightlaced Cordelia may just have to get a little dirty to make a killer come clean.

Review Quotes

"Utterly charming. Texan perfection!" -- Kelly Mullen, author of This is Not a Game

"A sharp, funny mystery bursting with heart and small-town secrets. I adored every page of The Best Little Motel in Texas - pure escapist joy with a wicked edge." -- Joanna Wallace, author of You'd Look Better as a Ghost

"The Best Little Motel in Texas is a must-read for anyone who loves amateur detective novels. Lyla Lane has crafted one of the most unique settings of any cozy I've ever read and introduces funny and well-crafted characters who will stay with you long after you reach the final, shocking resolution. I loved it and hope we see more of Cordelia and the Chickadees!" -- Kellye Garrett, award-winning author of Missing White Woman and Hollywood Homicide

"The Best Little Motel in Texas is a hoot and a half! Lyla Lane's entertaining mystery perfectly captures the hypocrisy and hilarity of life in the Bible Belt, while giving readers an intriguing murder to solve. With its unique premise, original characters, and clever setting, this will have readers laughing and turning pages late into the night." -- Diane Kelly, author of Dead as a Door Knocker: a House Flipper Mystery

"Lyla Lane not only gives us a fascinating and unique setting for a cozy mystery, but fun, interesting characters written with humor, depth, and vulnerability. Can't wait to see what other adventures Cordelia and the Chicks get up to!" -- Mia P. Manansala, author of the best-selling Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery series