Virgil Ray and Martha Mae Pickers are basically good people. Still, like most basically good people, they’re subject to the siren calls of fame, fortune and — not least — impressing their neighbors.

In this laugh-out-loud novel of linked stories reminiscent of the unforgettable characters and sense of place portrayed in stories by Fannie Flagg and Garrison Keillor, the Pickers and their Oakley County neighbors find themselves in outlandish predicaments, however well-intentioned. A faked resurrection, a return to high school at age 60, a visit by Elvis, helping the US Treasury bust a moonshiner, plus a hijinks-riddled cross-denominational Thanksgiving church service — through it all, Virgil Ray, Martha Mae and their hound dog Buddy have each other. Heaven help them!