Synopses & Reviews
Shes back! Tattooed, hard working, and often crabby dairy farmer and biker Stella Crown is hot—both in temperature and temperament. Her sister-in-law is a nag, her fiancée Nick is ill, and her bank account is in the red. But when a local country star turns up dead at the county fair, where Stella's teenage employee Zach is an exhibitor, things turn from hot to ugly.
Stella wasnt friends with the victim. In fact, shed only seen her from a distance. But seeing how Stella was the one to dig her out from her deathbed in the calf barns manure pile, the cops are on her like flies on…well…honey. Why on earth would Stella want to kill a young singer shed never spoken to? Shed much rather kill the annoying helicopter dad in the fairs dairy barn. Or the fifty percent fake girl in the Lovely Miss Pennsylvania Pageant. Or her banker.
Sick to death of annoying cops and entertainment folks, Stella figures the only way to get her life back is to aim law enforcement in the right direction. If that means having to endure a manicure with her soon to be sister in law at the dead singers favorite salon, or stopping by the recording studio to check out the talent, Stella figures there could be worse things. Cant a simple farm girl just get married in peace?
Review
""Clemens creates a cozy, safe-feeling community that needs a fierce defender like Stella to protect it from the bad eggs, and readers will love her determination to make things right while letting everyone live the way he or she desires.""--Publishers Weekly
""A sprightly tale and a surprising ending, along with Clemens's trademark quirky characters.""--Kirkus review of Different Paths
""This unique series deserves a much larger audience and more recognition.""-Booklist review of Different Paths
""Clemens avoids making farm life too bucolic, while Stella, with her Harley, cows and engaging circle of friends, will appeal to cozy and more mainstream mystery fans alike. This is a solid addition to a series that improves book by book.""-Publishers Weekly review of The Day Will Come
""Though Stella and her friends often seem an unlikely bunch, Clemens certainly keeps you guessing.""-Kirkus review of The Day Will Come
""The third entry in Clemens's Stella Crown series (after the Agatha Award-winning Till the Cows Come Home, 2004, and Three Can Keep a Secret, 2005) won't disappoint fans of the first two books. Strongly recommended.""-Library Journal starred review of To Thine Own Self Be True
""Bikers and tattoos have something of an image problem, but Clemens's fun and surprising third Stella Crown mystery (after 2005's Three Can Keep a Secret) goes a long way toward improving that image.""--Publishers Weekly review of To Thine Own Self Be True
""Clemens offers readers an intriguing story that takes them inside the world of tattooing and gives them a taste of daily life on a dairy farm. That may seem like an odd combination, but Clemens makes it work, thanks to abundant wit, well-developed characters, and a vividly realized rural setting.""--Booklist review of To Thine Own Self Be True
About the Author
Judy Clemens was born and raised a Mennonite, and is still involved with the church. She lives in rural Ohio, where she is pleased to see women in leadership in every aspect of the community. Dairy farming is not a part of her daily life, for which she is grateful, since it's such a difficult job. She lives in an old farmhouse with her family, and their livestock consists of four housecats.