Ronda Rich

Stella Bankwell and the gang are back, and this time there's a murder. It couldn't have happened in a more beautiful place than the historical Georgia barrier island of Sapelo, where wildlife flourishes and the ocean vistas are both breathtaking and calming. Adding to Sapelo's charm is that it is only reachable by ferry or speedboat. This new adventure begins with a corporate retreat at the home bought by R.J. Reynolds Jr. from Sea Island founder and Hudson car executive Howard Coffin. The mansion, set among gorgeous oaks hanging heavy with moss, is the perfect setting for a Southern Gothic tale of murder: one present day, the other a century old. When Mrs. Puckett, the housekeeper for former governor McCager Burnett and his lovely wife, Alva, asks Stella and the dashing US Marshal Jack ""Pepper"" Culpepper to help her nephew who is being falsely accused of the recent crime, they eagerly rush to the rescue. Returning in this second installment of the Stella Bankwell Mystery series is the delightful Chatham Balsam Colquitt IV, aka Chatty. This scion of tremendous, old Southern wealth is about to get his shoes muddy for the first time and he almost comes undone. One thing is for sure: Chatty can always be counted on for a good dose of laughter. Rounding out the squad is McCager ""Cage"" Burnett, who throws in his powerful connections and legal expertise as one of Atlanta's most noted attorneys. Don't worry, though. Our favorite redhead and her close friends are up for this mind-boggling challenge.

Stella Bankwell has suddenly found herself in a ""heap of trouble"" in the words of her mountain people. Ten years ago, the charming redhead was a sports marketing executive when she married unforeseen trouble, Asher Bankwell, who is descended from old Atlanta money and prestige. After public humiliation in front of Atlanta's snootiest at a black-tie gala, Stella is banished from high society. Running away to her childhood mountain home and her Mama's consoling, she soon heads for St. Simons Island where the sea and her best friend, Marlo, offer peace and calm. But there on her beloved island, Stella finds herself embroiled in a mystery that includes murder and money laundering. Simply trying to escape her scandalous embarrassment and an unhappy marriage, she's now facing real trouble: Possible federal indictments leading to a murder and serious danger for Stella. With the help of her best friend, Chatty (Chatham Balsam Colquitt IV, the only good that came from her marriage to Asher), who has followed her to his second home on adjoining Sea Island; former Governor McCager Burnett (Chatty's Sea Island neighbor); and U.S. Marshal Jackson (Pepper) Culpepper, they set out to solve a mystery that, most surely, will send a deep rattling through the columned, brick mansions of Atlanta's exclusive Buckhead.

Come, sip a glass of sweet tea and sit for a spell with Ronda on the porch swing as she tells you stories of happiness and heartache, friends and family, and a faith that’s strong enough to handle anything life throws your way. As Ronda shares, Southerners don’t just talk about God, they have a “kitchen-table faith,” that feels like a comfortable, trusted neighbor who sits down and stays for a good, long visit. It’s a faith you live and breathe, day-in, day-out, whether it’s praying to the good Lord as you sit on the porch swing or finding joy in a delicious pan of cornbread. As Ronda says, Southern faith “is a faith that is plain, simple, and sturdy, that is utilitarian in practice and that fits as comfortably in the hands of Southern women as a baby, an iron skillet, a hair brush, a telephone, or a broom.” From stories of moonshine and revivals, Sunday dinners and new Easter outfits, prayers answered and griefs shared, you’ll discover a faith that supports you when the trials and heartaches of life cause you to stumble, a faith that grabs you by the elbow and steadies you on the path.

A Southern Belle Primer meets The Rules in this engaging volume that explains the mystique of Southern women and why they always get what they want, and shows women how to get the same kind of romantic, professional, and personal success.