How many bodies does it take to jump-start the recovery of Elaine, The Hoarder?

"It depends," says Joan Freed, the rebel life coach, "on the variables, like which corpse - if any - is the cause of the hoarding."

This spiraling, hoarding, self-help mystery starts at Oak Flats Campground - east of Phoenix, Arizona. It quickly moves to Wellton - east of Yuma - where Joan is greeted by Elaine, a gray haired dumpling of a woman, and several stacks of 'stuff' spread over at least 20 acres, from antique road graders to mazes of tarped, block mountains. Heaps of cardboard boxes line narrow walkways to and through the house to the one room Elaine has garnered for living - the kitchen. There she bakes her scones, compiles her puzzles - crosswords and word searches - and defends her need to continue being a collector.

Joan's first memory upon trailing Elaine through the outer maze into the homestead is being slammed in the face by a stench she's never before encountered. The second olfactory memory is of fresh baked scones slathered in melting butter and homemade jam. How can anything this yummy be anything but doable was her second thought.

Besides a client with a really bad sinus infection and more very puzzling people - what could possibly go wrong while Joan and Elaine ferret out what is causing the hoarding and whatever else propels this labyrinthine, stinky story to a tickled pink ending?

Can the source of Elaine's grief be identified and turned into good grief before it all comes tumbling down?

"You never really know a person until you understand things from his point of view, until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."

Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. J.B. Lippincott & Co., 1960

If you liked Volume 4, 'Blindsided!', Volume 5, Elaine the Hoarder will only bring you more laughs, tears, and surprises to promote Good Grief!