Character Analysis
The new deputy sheriff in Mulhoney isn't just another pretty face. According to Flo, Brenda Babcock is "the toughest law enforcement officer on God's earth" (40). While it's a bit hard to prove it in a town of less than 6,000 people, Babcock does lives up to her word when she tells Hope, "I crush bad guys under my heel" (40). She gets to the bottom of the "There's a mouse in my salad" escapade at the diner, the sinister attempt by Millstone's campaign groupies to shut down the Welcome Stairways, and she arrests the creepy Carbinger brothers after they ransack Adam Pulver's house. She gets appointed as acting mayor when G.T. dies and we couldn't be happier about it.