Miss Julia Delivers the Goods by Ann B. Ross (2009, Hardcover)

This is #10 in Ms. Ross's wonderful Miss Julia series!

Many books back, Miss Julia took in her dead husband's mistress, Hazel Marie and her son, Lloyd....named after Ms. Julia's late husband. Ever since then it has been an uphill ride with many changes taking place in the household. Miss Julia married Sam Murdoch adding him to the household. Lillian has always been Miss Julia's right hand woman...along with being the county's best housekeeper/cook. Together they have solved many of the town's problems, but a new one has hit big time! Hazel Marie has just found out she is pregnant with twins and her timing is way off. She has broken off with J.D. Pickens, her long time beau and refuses to go back to him. In fact, she doesn't even want him to know she is expecting. Miss Julia is beside herself with worry. It took a long time to get the small town of Abbotsville to accept and love Hazel Marie and Lloyd the first time, but she just doesn't think she can do it again. Hazel Marie is talking about leaving town and taking little Lloyd with her, which is breaking Miss Julia's heart to pieces. She has to let J.D. Pickens know somehow about Hazel Marie and her condition without breakling her promise not to tell. It's not hard to do in the beginning, since J.D. has taken off to Charlotte and put his house up for sale. When Sam's house, now used as a business office, is broken into and some important papers and tapes are stolen, Miss Julia sees her chance for him to hire J.D. as the P.I. on the case and get him back into town. Trouble is, when he does show, Hazel Marie refuses to even see him and with all the hints Miss Julia and Lillian are throwing out about her condition, he just isn't getting it through his thick head. The papers and tapes Sam has stolen lead to a small mystery. Miss Julia helps J.D. try to re-interview the people involved, since she knows the county inside out, but none of them want to talk again. They are all afraid.
Well....Miss Julia has her work cut out for her this time. It may be her toughest assignment to date to try and play Cupid and also help Sam solve his crime. I loved the way Lillian and Miss Julia kept bouncing hints off J.D. Pickens, but he couldn't seem to catch them! It wasn't until near the last couple of chapters that things finally came to a head. He had to be told because Hazel Marie told the church women she had a job offer in Palm Beach and would be leaving town and the minister's wife, Emma Sue Ledbetter, had organized a surprise going away party for her at Miss Julia's.....unknown to Miss Julia, who has been keeping Hazel Marie under wraps due to her increasing waist line! Oh, what a tangled web we weave! This book was great fun and if you love a spunky, no nonsense older woman who never takes "no" for an answer, then you'll love Miss Julia. A sheer delight to read!

I was wondering what Miss Julia would do this time. I should have known the wonderful older lady has to solve all mysteries in her life. This, along with her other adventures, was a good read.