"As the owner of Miracle Books, Nora Pennington figures all the wet weather this spring is at least good for business. The local inns are packed with stranded travelers, and among them Nora finds both new customers and a new friend, the sixty-something Sheldon, who starts helping out at the store. Since a little rain never hurt anyone, Nora rides her bike over to the flea market one sodden day and buys a bowl from Danny, a Cherokee potter. It'll make...

Companies compete to find and keep the best employees, using pay, benefits, promotions, and training. But these well-intentioned efforts often miss the mark. The front-line manager is the key to attracting and retaining talented employees. No matter how generous its pay or how renowned its training, the company that lacks great front-line managers will suffer. The authors explain how the best managers select an employee for talent rather than for...

The Ducote sisters are in a tiff with Vera Cassity over the location of this year's library fundraiser, and librarian Charlie Harris would rather stay out of the fray. Everyone -- even his housekeeper Azalea -- has it in for Vera. And at the gala, she gives them good reason with a public display of rancor. Then Charlie discovers Azalea standing over Vera's dead body, and it's up to him -- with a little help from his Maine coon cat, Diesel -- to clear...