Greedy Bones by Carolyn Haines (2009, Hardcover)

This is the 11th book in Ms. Haines "Bones" series with Sarah Booth Delaney as the beautiful P.I. from Zinnia, Mississippi. Just back from Costa Rica by way of Hollywood from doing the re-make of "Body Heat" with her movie star beau, Graf Milieu, she is faced with an unreal fact that her partner, Tinkie Richmond's husband, Oscar, is on his death bed with an unknown disease after venturing out on the deserted Carlisle plantation to inspect the property. Along with Oscar, two real estate ladies have also fallen ill and Gordon, the deputy sheriff. All had gone out to the plantation for their own reasons. When Dr. Sawyer is not able to do more, he calls in the Center for Disease Control. This brings to town specialist Peyton Fidellas and a former Zinnia resident, the sexy Bonnie Louise McRae, who seems to have her sights on Sheriff Coleman Peters, Sarah's old flame. They can't seem to find a cure after checking the cotton, which is three times the normal size for this time of year, or the strange looking boll weevils that are decimating the crop. With Oscar's life on the line, Sarah jumps in and decides to do her own investigating, starting with the absent owner, Luther Carlisle, who now runs a trailer park outside of town. Then there is his estranged sister, Erin, who left home at 17, who is refusing to sign over her half of the property for sale. A mysterious developer, Jimmy Janks is making waves in town with big ideas for a housing subdivision and shops when the Carlisle plantation is his. In this story there is a lot of drama, and a little something that even Sarah doesn't know about until near the end, but you can probably guess closer to the beginning. The story is a rush for a cure before Oscar dies along with the others. There is a time when Sarah almost loses her life, but it only makes her more determined and angry as she pulls herself from her hospital bed to find a vicious killer. My heart went out to Tinkie, staying by the hospital isolation ward window, day and night, determined not to let death walk in and take Oscar.
At first I was not sure I'd like this book as well as I did her last one which was fantastic with the Costa Rica setting and then Hollywood, but this flowed right from there into Zinnia and gave the same heart pounding read that you come to expect from this great author. Jitty is there by her side giving her support and aggravating riddles to help her bring peace back to Sunflower County. Kudos!