Beat the Tombstone Blues

So, the next time you stay at a bed and breakfast, think about this one simple fact--things are not always as they seem!  In Ken Hodgson's Tombstone Blues, Samantha Sterling is fleeing her new divorce and her old life in Houston, TX, when she becomes the new manager of the Sunset Bed and Breakfast located in historic Tombstone, AZ.  Sidney Munson and his life partner Michael run the bed and breakfast, with the help of Sydney's crotchety mom, Esther.  They enjoy gourmet meals with select guests under the beautiful Arizona sunsets, but as they are both in their fifties, hire Samantha to run the business for them so that they can take much-needed vacations.  Samantha arrives and is immediately suspicious of Sidney and Michael's excessive kindness and strange behavior.  Soon, the secret is out!  The Sunset Bed and Breakfast is a cover for a hit-man operation, and if Samantha wants to survive, she must learn the business too.  This is the basis for a hilarious, charming, action-packed story full of entertaining characters.  There are plenty of side stories involving the residents of Tombstone, and there is definitely room for a sequel.  Esther is as much fun as Grandma Mazur (Stephanie Plum's grandma in her series written by Janet Evonavich) and Sidney and Michael are zany as well as sophisticated.  The plot gets wild and woolly, so prepare yourself for a twisty ride. Ken Hodgson is a former gold and uranium miner, worked in a state hospital and owned an air compressor buisness.  He is an active member of the Mystery Writers of America and International Thriller Writers.  He lives on a small ranch in northen New Mexico with his wife and prime editor, Rita alon with two spoiled cats, Sasha and Ulysses.