Truck a Duck: A Simpato Mystery (The Simpato Mystery Series Book 2)

In Simpato, California, the wine flows, the gossip spreads, and murder is back on the menu.

Sal DeVine, temporarily suspended lawyer and unofficial Keeper of Secrets in the quirky wine-country town of Simpato, has a new assignment: covering a City Council meeting for the local newspaper, the Simpato Quack. What could possibly go wrong?

Plenty, as it turns out.

A heated debate over food trucks has divided the town. Vineyard workers, hotel employees, and other locals want affordable places to eat, while restaurant owners, shopkeepers, and winemakers worry that food trucks will spoil Simpato's upscale tourist appeal. The City Council proposes a compromise: a two-month trial allowing three of the town's five food trucks to operate downtown.

But when one of the food-truck owners turns up dead, the battle over downtown dining takes a decidedly murderous turn.

Suddenly, Sal finds herself navigating a menu of suspects, simmering resentments, and small-town secrets. Was the competition for coveted parking spots worth killing for? Or is something more sinister brewing beneath Simpato's picture-perfect wine-country charm?

With gossip flying, wine flowing, cannabis-cookie-selling nuns, and enough terrible duck puns to make anyone groan, Sal will need all her wit and legal instincts to uncover the truth.

Welcome back to Simpato, where the food is gourmet, the gossip is delicious, and murder is always on the menu.

Truck a Duck is another delightfully entertaining installment in Claudia H. Long's Simpato Mystery Series, serving up a delicious blend of small-town intrigue, quirky characters, humor, and murder.

About the Author

Claudia Hagadus Long is the author of 8 novels, including the Simpato Mystery Series and the Zara and Lilly series, one of which has been optioned for a major feature film. When she’s not writing stories, she’s a lawyer in Northern California, where she lives amid wineries and geysers, with her husband and too many animals. She’s a passionate weaver and spinner, a dedicated cook, and the doting grandmother of three perfect grandsons. She relies heavily on coffee.

Praise for the Simpato Mystery Series

“A good old-fashioned mystery with just the right amount of wit, humor and long-held secrets. I loved it!” —Denise Allan Steele, author of Rewind

“For a small town, Simpato has some giant secrets... A tongue-in-cheek murder mystery with a hilariously irreverent cast of characters.” —Kelly Oliver, author of The Jessica James Mysteries