Horace and his entourage are traveling, as Horace always does, in his vintage private railroad cars. Their destination is southern Arizona, where Horace is slated to co-chair the Best Chef Tucson Jail-and-Bail Weekend Gala with his beloved friend Bunny Lorillard, queen bee of fashionable society. Making the trip are Horace's bartender, Pierre; his private chef, Wanda; and her husband, Jack, who is the narrator of the story. Horace brings along his adopted thirteen-year-old niece, Jane, and her best friend from school, Florabelle. Both girls have recently been suspended, and Horace hopes spending time with Bunny will inspire the mischief-makers to live up to the motto -- "high moral character and service to community" -- of their tony Palo Alto school. In Tucson, anticipation for the traditional weekend gala runs high. But when the weekend takes a macabre turn, Horace finds himself in a unique position to solve the lethal crime he's convinced has occurred. Slinging insults, riding roughshod over perceived inferiors, and always keeping a stiff drink close at hand, Horace offends and appalls Tucson's titled officials and food-scene elites in his search for the truth. What he can't foresee is that the secret he's about to reveal might be better left undiscovered.
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