Chicken Scratch (The Sisters, Texas #1) by Becki Willis

Title: Chicken Scratch 

Author: Becki Willis

Published: March 13, 2015

Publisher: Clear Creek Publishers

Pages: 316

Genre: Murder

Review: ebook

Buy Link: Amazon 

When Madison Reynolds finds herself widowed and penniless before forty, she does the only thing she knows to do – she packs up her teenage twins and moves back home with her eighty-year-old grandmother. Life in The Sisters, Texas has not changed much since she’s been gone, but at least her best friend Genesis is there to soften the transition back into small-town life.

To make ends meet, Madison opens In a Pinch Temporary Services. Her first real client is Ronny Gleason, but when she shows up for the first day of work at the Gleason Poultry Farm, Madison makes a gruesome discovery. The dead body she finds belongs to Mr. Gleason. When a local man is arrested for murder, Madison takes on the job of proving his innocence. Even though she is not a private investigator, both mothers are desperate: Lucy Ngyen to clear her son’s name, and Madison to pay her bills. But as she begins asking questions around town, her interference is not welcome.

With a daughter determined to go back to Dallas, a son settling into small town life, a feisty grandmother who knows all the town gossip, bill collectors calling, and now someone trying to keep her silent, Madison has no time for re-kindling her high school crush with police chief Brash deCordova. She has her hands full just trying to stay alive.

If she survives her amateur investigation, Maddy has a decision to make. Will she go back to her life in Dallas, or will she build a new life here in The Sisters?

Not sure how I found this book on my kindle but I am glad I did. First, let me say I was in absolute awe that this author lives close to where I live. Also, I have friends who know her! Like they know I read why did they not turn me onto this author before? Can I truly call these people friends? 
On to the review. We are introduced to Madison who is a single mom who has moved back to her home town (I think we can all relate going back to our hometown), and opened her own business to make ends meet. Yet, what ends up happening is far more than she hoped for. I really liked how the author described the chicken farm and how they sorta worked. I have never been in one before, and after reading this....ya girl is like naw....not gonna happen. Madison comes across as strong and determined especially when she knows that she can find herself in trouble. While trying to make a living, helping solve a murder by clearing someone's name, she does not have time for an old high school crush. Or will she? 
There is more to this town than meets the eye and honestly the way the author described this town I felt like I was there. I could see it and imagine it. Also not gonna lie I kind of fangirled when she mentioned Bryan. I literally was like OMG she named my hometown what!! 
The author did a great job with all the mystery surrounding this man's death that I honestly had no clue who was behind it until the end. I would not have even thought about this person killing someone. So great job with that!! Murder, coverup, love, money all wrapped up in a West Texas town sounds awesome right! 

Becki Willis, best known for her popular The Sisters, Texas Mystery Series and Forgotten Boxes, always dreamed of being an author. In November of '13, that dream became a reality. Since that time, she has published numerous books, won first place honors for Best Mystery Series, Best Suspense Fiction and Best Audio Book, and has introduced her imaginary friends to readers around the world. An avid history buff, Becki likes to poke around in old places and learn about the past. Other addictions include reading, writing, junking, unraveling a good mystery, and coffee. She loves to travel, but believes coming home to her family and her Texas ranch is the best part of any trip. Becki is a member of the Association of Texas Authors, the National Association of Professional Women, and the Brazos Writers organization. She attended Texas A&M University and majored in Journalism.

 

You can connect with her at http://www.beckiwillis.com/ and http://www.facebook.com/beckiwillis.ccp?ref=hl. Better yet, email her at beckiwillis.ccp@gmail.com. She loves to hear from readers and encourages feedback!