Poison Heart features Deputy Sheriff Claire Watkins in Fort St. Antoine, Wisconsin, a short distance from the Twin Cities and a very small close knit community.  Claire is the only female deputy in the department and also the main investigator.  She lives with her boyfriend, Rich and her sixth grade daughter, Meg.

From the beginning of the book, it is quite clear that the bad woman in town is Patty Jo Tilde.  Patty Jo is a 60 year old woman addicted to bingo and casinos and a very strong desire for money and a totally different lifestyle than being a farmer's wife.  Patty Jo's latest husband dies after several strokes in the local nursing home and Patty Jo is not grieving a bit, but sitting home figuring up how much she will make from his death.  She is also suspected of having a hand in his death and her previous husband's death, along with a string of arsons in the area.

It is quite clear from the start that Patty Jo is a very guilty woman.  However, she is about to drive her latest husband Walter's daughter Margaret, and Claire over the edge in trying to find enough evidence to convict her of any of the crimes she is suspected of committing.  It is pretty hard to convince anyone that a sixty year old woman could be guilty of the crimes they believe she has committed.

This was a good, quick read that gives one a glimpse of small town life and the fact that no matter how innocent one may appear they can be guilty of things one would never believe.  I would highly recommend for cozy readers.  My rating of this book would have probably been higher if I were more of a cozy reader but my favorites tend to be somewhat darker and more graphic.

REVIEWED BY GINA METZ

DO NOT REPRINT WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE REVIEWER, GINA METZ