Book description
Stella Crown rarely takes a break from managing her Pennsylvania dairy
farm unless it's to take a spin on her Harley, but in the midst of the
Christmas season she treats herself to a new tattoo. Halfway through the
sitting at Wolf Ink, her tattoo artist and his wife, Mandy, disappear
into the back room and Stella dozes off. When she awakes, annoyed to
realize they've not come back, she drives home. Before long the police
arrive to inform her that Mandy has been discovered dead-knocked out and
left to freeze behind the tattoo parlor. And Wolf is nowhere to be
found. Angry and guilt-stricken that she hasn't protected her friends,
Stella-something of a suspect herself-sets out to assist the cops and
rescue the missing Wolf. With the help of another tattoo artist and an
old flame who's arrived at the farm, Stella dives into the world of
tattooing, where she finds not only a close-knit and knowledgeable
community, but also its underworld of back alley hacks, stolen designs,
and violent patrons, plus some looming and controversial state
legislation. Stella, stymied by more suspects than answers, is dragged
yet again into a realm full of greed and danger when all she wants is to
be left alone to run her farm and figure out the rest of her life. Wiser
now, she also knows that to be true to herself, she must first do
everything in her power to get Wolf back where he belongs. While
Stella Crown is getting a new tattoo, her tattoo artist is called into
the back room by his wife, Mandy. Exhausted from managing her
Pennsylvania dairy farm, Stella falls asleep. When she wakes up, the
tattoo parlor is empty, so Stella goes home. Later that evening the
police arrive to tell her that Mandy is dead, and Wolf, the tattoo
artist, is missing. Describing the polar opposite worlds of the tattoo
parlor and dairy farm, Clemens writes about a woman comfortable in both
but unable to handle her own emotions. If only caring about people were
as easy for Stella as riding a Harley or hooking up a milking machine.
Featuring fast-paced prose and well-drawn characters who are mostly good
people who help each other, Clemens' mystery also paints a complete
picture of the hard work that goes into farming while educating the
reader on the rules and regulations governing the tattoo business. The
third entry in Clemens' 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. Clemens lives in Ohio. Judy Clemens was born into the
Mennonite faith, but discovered her motorcycle leanings later in life.
At home in rural Ohio, she lives with her husband and two children,
where their livestock consists of three housecats.
