The Chapel at the Pines

A MISS FORTUNE Christmas story with chaos, Moon Pies, case law, and questionable glitter decisions.

Hi. I'm Fortune Redding—ex-CIA, current small-town trouble magnet, and the only person you'll ever meet who can weaponize a cookie exchange.

Here's the situation: a wandering troubadour with a red fedora wanders into The Pines and wakes up a forgotten chapel with music so pretty even curmudgeons say "amen." Enter one televangelist wannabe who wants to bulldoze said chapel and replace it with a holy gift shop, a coffee bar, and (I wish I were kidding) Christian mini golf.

What follows includes (but is not limited to):

·        a courtroom throwdown featuring a cowboy attorney who quotes Mark Twain (and kinda looks like him),

·        a town petition powered by caffeine and righteous indignation,

·        a zydeco band accidentally glued to their instruments (Gertie + "fake snow" = OOPS),

·        and a Christmas concert that might save the day… if the city inspector, a swarm of news cameras, and my two favorite chaos agents don't sink us first.

Also present: Moon Pies and candy canes (medicinal), glitter (regrettable), and one handsome guitarist who makes a chapel remember how to sing—and me remember how to feel.

Buy this book if you like small towns with big hearts, found family with loud opinions, mysteries wrapped in tinsel, and heroines who can run an op, wrangle a crowd, and still cry at "Silent Night."

Warning: may cause sudden urges to buy Moon Pies, hug your neighbors and eat something fried.

FOREWORD by Michael J. Sullivan, author of The Shattered Cross