Mischief in Maggoddy by Joan Hess

Arly Hanks, comes back from vacation to find the community in an uproar: practically everyone is under the influence of psychic Madame Celeste, four hippies have taken over a local store and local prostitute and moonshiner Robin Buchanon has disappeared, leaving behind five hungry children.

The mayor's wife, busybody Mrs. Jim Bob Buchanon, wants Arly to do something about the children, a wild and uncivilized lot, but Arly manages to foist them onto Mrs. Jim Bob while she goes hunting for the mother, whom she finds with her head blown off in the middle of a marijuana patch. As she sets out to discover who planted the weed and then booby-trapped it, the children proceed to bring Mrs. Jim Bob low while Madame Celeste has premonitions of disaster. Aided by a possible new love interest, David Allen Wainright, guidance counselor at the local high school, Arly tries to help the children, particularly the foulmouthed but oddly charming Hammet.

I have to say this is one of my favorite Maggoddy books. I read it so long ago but the majority of the story stuck with me. But I had forgotten that it had all happened in one book and not through out several storylines. Looking forward to more Maggody books to read over this hot summer.