Valentine's Day was never high on Savannah Reid's list of favorite holidays—even if it does guarantee a box of See's candy. And when her only shot at romance includes a stakeout with her ex-partner, Dirk Coulter, and a case of PMS that would make Lizzie Borden look misunderstood, things aren't exactly looking up in the hearts-and-flowers department. But nothing relieves the symptoms of monthly misery quite like digging into the world's biggest chocolate sampler—and showing the bad guys what a feisty ex-Southern girl with a 9mm Baretta can do. After pulling an all-nighter, Savannah wants nothing more than to cook up a plate of steamy grits and hash browns. But no sooner has she buttered the skillet when disaster arrives in the overdone, underdressed form of Polly Coulter, Dirk's ex-wife—the same ingrate who left him high and dry when she ran off with a twentysomething rock-and-roller.

Days later, the no-good, two-timing broad is found lying in a pool of blood in Dirk's doublewide trailer, shot through the chest with his service revolver. Always one to stick her nose where it doesn't belong, Savannah goes to work to clear Dirk, and every lead points to trouble. At the top of the list of suspects is Polly's latest squeeze, Quince Jeffries, one of San Carmelita's finest, and a man with more ambition than sense. And what about the prominent land developer whose latest project is ticking off every tree-hugger in town—could someone have dug up real dirt on him? All in all, this is one Valentine's Day that's shaping up to be a real massacre...

Teeming with the brisk suspense and tell-it-like-it-is wit that has made Savannah Reid a star, Sugar And Spite is a delicious concoction mystery fans will savor.