The Tea-Olive Bird Watching Society

3.2/5 ( ratings)

The women of a small townas bird watching society secretly plan to aeliminatea the husband of one of their members in this new novelaa modern spin on the classic film "Arsenic" and "Old Lace"awritten by the beloved author of "Sophie and the Rising Sun," In a story replete with coconut cake, grits, and poisoned turtle stew, itas easy to see why Augusta Trobaugh has been heralded as having aa voice from and for the South, as complex and resonant as the region itselfa. With her latest novel, Trobaugh displays that distinctly Southern charm and beckons new readers to her work.

Founding members of the Tea-Olive Bird Watching Society in tiny Tea-Olive, Georgia, are Beulah, Sweet, Wildwood, and Zion, each named after a hymn. Pillars of the community, seemingly beyond reproach, two of these ladies are nonetheless conspiring to murder retired Judge L. Hyson Breed, a newcomer to Tea-Olive. It all begins when the judge tricks Sweet into marriage, steals her land for a development project, and sweet- talks his way right onto the town council. By the time Beulah and Zion discover his evil plansaand realize that Sweet has endured personal harm, with more to comeathe judge is already a permanent fixture in town. Or is he? When Beulah and Zion attempt to do away with the judgeawhile always remaining unfailingly politeathe novel takes a wild turn. The result is a delightful black comedy from a novelist at the peak of her powers.