"You do the crime; you do the time."

Julia Melvin had repeated those words countless times as she raised her children, proud to be teaching them personal responsibility. She did not expect to hear them parroted back from her young adult son on her one phone call from the county jail following a small skirmish at a protest against animal testing at a local cosmetics company.

Upon her release, she vowed to change her criminal ways and stay far away from the protest site. And she did. Kind of. Mostly. She just wanted to help the animals. How was she supposed to know she'd stumble over the dead body of the company owner? Now she's got two criminal cases pending and is doing all she can to avoid having murder added to her ever-growing rap sheet.

Fans of Agatha Raisin will love forty-something and fierce Julia Jane Melvin. Mid-Life Mysteries do not contain graphic violence, gore, strong language, or cliffhangers.