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Second Helpings: A Magnolia Buff Murder Mystery
When Talulah Mae Hightower returns to her hometown of Magnolia Bluff, Georgia, it isn’t for family, tradition, or the fried chicken. It’s because her marriage has collapsed in scandal, and she needs somewhere solid to land. But what was meant to be a short stay with her strong-willed mother, Ruby Nell, quickly turns into something far more complicated.
Within days of Talulah’s unannounced arrival, Clara Belle Boone, a beloved older woman in town, turns up dead under suspicious circumstances. Add to it, the fact that Clara has a life of her own secrets that no one would’ve suspected, and that spells out a recipe hotter than your mama’s Cowboy Candy. Soon, whispers begin to circulate that something darker is unfolding behind the sweet tea and small talk…and that would be correct.
With the help of a old-soul sheriff, a slick-talking (soon to be) ex-husband with baggage and secrets, a mysterious stranger who’s being a little too un-friendly, and a cast of very Southern ladies who could cut you to the quick, then be the first to hand you a band-aid for it…Ruby and Talulah begin untangling a humid, Georgia web that stretches all the way to a forgotten Southern crime syndicate and a past some would kill to keep buried.
Along the way, Talulah struggles to reconnect with her lost romance, who happens to be the town sheriff and her high school sweetheart, whose own past is tangled up in the case they’re trying to solve. Meanwhile, Tyler Granger, Talulah’s disgraced ex, returns to stir up trouble and tug at Talulah’s fragile heart, dragging danger closer to home with every smug smile.
Family ties run deep, and you’ll soon discover that Magnolia Bluff has a funny way of revealing its truths…sometimes in prayer circles, sometimes in pie crusts, and sometimes at gunpoint.
In the end, Second Helpings isn't just a story about solving a murder. It's about finding your way back home, even when home has changed…or maybe when you have.
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Second Helpings is the long-awaited follow-up to Ricky Fitzpatrick's debut Southern Mystery title The Last Supper Club, and the second book in the Magnolia Buff Murder Mystery Series.
Within days of Talulah’s unannounced arrival, Clara Belle Boone, a beloved older woman in town, turns up dead under suspicious circumstances. Add to it, the fact that Clara has a life of her own secrets that no one would’ve suspected, and that spells out a recipe hotter than your mama’s Cowboy Candy. Soon, whispers begin to circulate that something darker is unfolding behind the sweet tea and small talk…and that would be correct.
With the help of a old-soul sheriff, a slick-talking (soon to be) ex-husband with baggage and secrets, a mysterious stranger who’s being a little too un-friendly, and a cast of very Southern ladies who could cut you to the quick, then be the first to hand you a band-aid for it…Ruby and Talulah begin untangling a humid, Georgia web that stretches all the way to a forgotten Southern crime syndicate and a past some would kill to keep buried.
Along the way, Talulah struggles to reconnect with her lost romance, who happens to be the town sheriff and her high school sweetheart, whose own past is tangled up in the case they’re trying to solve. Meanwhile, Tyler Granger, Talulah’s disgraced ex, returns to stir up trouble and tug at Talulah’s fragile heart, dragging danger closer to home with every smug smile.
Family ties run deep, and you’ll soon discover that Magnolia Bluff has a funny way of revealing its truths…sometimes in prayer circles, sometimes in pie crusts, and sometimes at gunpoint.
In the end, Second Helpings isn't just a story about solving a murder. It's about finding your way back home, even when home has changed…or maybe when you have.
-----
Second Helpings is the long-awaited follow-up to Ricky Fitzpatrick's debut Southern Mystery title The Last Supper Club, and the second book in the Magnolia Buff Murder Mystery Series.
343 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 30, 2025
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About the author
Ricky Fitzpatrick
28 books3 followersRicky Fitzpatrick is a lifelong Southerner, storyteller, and award-winning songwriter whose roots run deep in red clay and gospel truth. With a voice steeped in Georgia pines and a pen dipped in Southern Gothic ink, he weaves tales where secrets simmer just beneath the surface.
"The Last Supper Club" is his latest venture into the heart of small-town mystery, where faith, folklore, and fireflies collide. He currently resides with his family in rural Northeast GA in the unincorporated community of Apple Valley.
"The Last Supper Club" is his latest venture into the heart of small-town mystery, where faith, folklore, and fireflies collide. He currently resides with his family in rural Northeast GA in the unincorporated community of Apple Valley.
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