Zukie's Burglar

Having lost both her husband and her job, Zukie Merlino has time on her hands and a mystery to solve. Night after night, someone is searching the empty house next door, whose elderly owner died following an unusually explosive Fourth of July. A second death in the house brings out all Zukie's detective instincts and with the help of her reluctant accomplice Lou, she launches her own investigation using her wits, her wigs and a coffee cake or two.

Cynthia E. Hurst is also the author of the R&P Labs Mysteries series. Zukie first appeared in the R&P short story 'Halfbaked' and promptly insisted on being featured in her own full-length novels. 'Zukie's Burglar' is the first in the series.