Houston Town by Deborah Powell

Hollis Carpenter is back, prowling the streets of Houston, dragging her intrepid shaggy dog Anice behind her, and wise-cracking her way into trouble.
Hollis's friend Charlotte has a problem. There's a corpse in her bed and she wants rid of it. But even more serious: she won't reveal where she was at the time and so doesn't have an alibi.

Hollis hides Charlotte then searches the seedy byways of Houston for the killer, confronting sleazy politicians, and cops on the make...plus a powerful woman evangelist with incredible personal magnetism.

Houston Town is the sassy, and humorous, fast-paced follow-up to Bayou City Secrets.