Am I glad the relationship between Lily Gayle and Ben was clarified, because it had me a little worried at the beginning.  But that's because probably the usual cozy heroine's love interest is an officer of the law.  LG and Ben are cousins!  But then I thought, well, maybe their family tree doesn't fork that much.  (I say that with a lot of love, because that's what they say about my home state!)  Turns out there's nothing romantic going on there at all, just familial concern and the heroine frustrating the you-know-what out of the local LEOs.

Ben gets a call out one evening while he is having supper with LG for a body.  There is someone (or something?) lying dead in the woods, dressed in clothing, but looking for all the world like a Hollywood-style werewolf.  Of course, the law doesn't want to admit that werewolves exist but it gets even more interesting when it is discovered that the being was killed by a silver bullet. (Cue the movie mood music.)

In a fun bit of 'I-know-something-you-don't', LG figures out what the deal is with the dead guy before, oh, most if not everyone else in town.  But, rather than have her idea criticized by her cousin, she writes her idea on a piece of paper, folds it over and hands it to Ben, telling him to open it up when they get the forensic reports back.

Then there is the wealthiest family in town, who are every bit as strange as you might think a small town old money family might be.  The spinster daughter is a midwife, and it turns out that each generation of this family, one of the women has been a midwife.  Odd tradition, to say the least.  So as much as the women get out and about, that's how little the men engage with the locals.

The midwife has come to LG, not because she is expecting, but because she is an amateur genealogist, and LizBeth (the midwife) wants some research done on her family tree.  As LG starts this paid project, the eldest son of the Mitchell family comes and asks in increasingly threatening terms for LG to let it be.

And the fascinating and strange reveals and occurrences continue to the end of the book!  Ms. Boles is an expert at keeping readers engaged and on their literary toes!

WOW! Great story! Susan Boles created a delightful southern town with pitchers of sweet tea, beauty shop hang outs, and everybody in everybody’s business. The colorful characters are deeply attached to each other having clever, humorous, and often contentious banter. The mystery is unique and kept me turning the pages… I would love to join the residents of Mercy, Mississippi, for a sweet tea, sit on the porch, and enjoy an afternoon of juicy gossip. “So, what’s been happening today, Miss Edna?”

Death of a Wolfman by Susan Boles earns 5/5 Silver Bullets with a glass of sweet tea!

Lily Gayle Lambert is visited by Lisbeth Mitchell  to look into her family tree.  In the meantime Lily and her cousin, Ben, who is also the county chief of police.  As they are eating dinner he is called to a scene which Lily had no clue it was a murder scene.  She notices something that draws her attention.  Who killed the wolfman?

I loved meeting Lily, her cousin, Dixie, Lily’s best friend and owner of It’ll Grow Back Beauty Shop and  then we have the town snoop Miss Edna who knows everyones business.  The author does an excellent job with the story in a small southern town with sweet tea, gossip and good ole boys.  The descriptions of the characters and setting make a reader feel they are in this town with the characters.

There is nothing not to love about this new series.  I can’t wait to read book 2.  A job well done.