“Pay Dirt,” by Sara Paretsky (Wiliam Morrow)
“Pay Dirt,” by Sara Paretsky (Wiliam Morrow)
V.I. Warshawski is in a bad place. Depressed because of a death (one that occurred in a previous mystery) and a separation from her boyfriend, she agrees to attend a ball game in Lawrence, Kan., with a goddaughter and her friends. When one of the girls disappears, V.I. goes to work. She finds the missing girl, still breathing, in a deserted drug house. Case over?
Not so fast. The following day, V.I discovers the body of a local historian in the same house, and becomes the chief suspect in the woman’s murder. Against the orders of the local police, V.I.’s determined to solve the case on her own, of course. Sleuthing leads her to a Kansas-based private conglomerate that owns land near the drug house. She also discovers the dead historian, operating under a pseudonym, had threatened the company’s ownership.
The book is filled with evil corporate types, uninvolved police, arrogant dowagers and nasty fraternity boys, all of them after V.I. She gets hit over the head more than once. The ending is a bit contrived, but this is Paretsky, so the writing is good. An older, more mature V.I. makes as good a read as ever.
“What Happened to Nina?,” by Dervla McTierman (William Morrow)
After a week’s stay at her boyfriend’s parents’ vacation home in Vermont, Nina disappears. Because of the book’s prologue in which longtime boyfriend Simon turns ugly, readers have a pretty good idea he’s responsible. But is he? Simon claims the two young lovers broke up, and he left Nina in Stowe and came home alone.
Nina’s mother loses it. She confronts Simon and even punches him. Simon’s parents charge her with assault, as the two families go to war against each other. To add to the anguish, Nina’s disappearance goes viral. Simon’s family hires lawyers and a PR firm to spread rumors that Nina’s father is a pedophile and her mother certifiable. Just as Nina’s family will do anything to find out their daughter’s fate, so are Simon’s parents willing to go to great lengths to protect their son.
Author Dervla McTierman explores the psychological cost of dealing with both Nina’s disappearance and anonymous online threats of perversion and even murder.
“Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter?,” by Nicci French (William Morrow)
“Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter?,” by Nicci French (William Morrow)
After their mother disappears the night of their father’s 50th birthday, Etty, Ollie and Niall put up signs asking, “Has anyone seen Charlotte Salter?” Nobody has. Instead, a neighbor’s body is found. The police investigation concludes the neighbor, Duncan, killed Charlotte and then, in a fit of remorse, committed suicide.
Twenty years later, the two families still have not dealt with the deaths. When a third murder happens, a special investigator is assigned to the case. She concludes all three murders are connected. Local police are resentful, and the families unhappy about reliving the earlier tragedy. The whole investigation is complicated when one of Duncan’s sons, a television star, begins a series of podcasts on the first two deaths.
“Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter” is a whodunit that gives few clues as to the killer.
“The Paris Widow,” by Kimberly Belle (Park Row Books)
Stella is terrified when her husband of a few years disappears during a bombing in Paris. After she’s interviewed on CNN and other international networks, she becomes “the Paris Widow.” Suddenly, she’s known all over the world. The hotel put her into a complimentary suite, thousands of people call with tips. She’s contacted by thieves, killers and European police networks.
It seems that Adam, Stella’s husband, is not a suave dealer of architectural antiques but instead is a kingpin in black-market antiquities. Stella’s told to go home to Atlanta or risk her life trying to find her husband. Her suite is broken into, she’s followed. She doesn’t know who to trust. Only after Stella moves into a seedy hotel where no one can find her do the pieces begin to fall into place. “The Paris Widow” is a well-constructed mystery with engaging characters.
“The Vacancy in Room 10,” by Seraphina Nova Glass (Graydon House)
“The Vacancy in Room 10,” by Seraphina Nova Glass (Graydon House)
Dumped by her wealthy boyfriend of four years and with no work skills, Cass goes to work as a manager and “handy ma’am” at a seedy apartment building, the Sycamores, in Santa Fe. She oversees an assortment of eclectic characters — including welfare moms, retirees and an artist — who use his apartment as a studio. When the artist dies, Anna, his widow, moves in. A phone call just before his death convinces her something is amiss.
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As Anna quizzes the Sycamores residents, she pieces together the circumstances surrounding her husband’s alleged suicide, uncovering a secret life that led to his death.
Meanwhile, Cass has her own problems, Determined to confront her ex, she and the posse of moms attend a charity event to confront him and the homewrecker he plans to marry. In a hilarious scene, Cass breaks into her old home to rescue her prized toolbelt. But Cass’s life turns dark when she confronts the abusive husband of one of the residents.
“The Vacancy in Room 10” is not just a murder mystery (three murders!) but is also the story of a group of misfits who form a family.
“Off the Air,” by Christina Estes (Minotaur Books)
Phoenix TV reporter Jolene Garcia dreams of winning an Emmy, but she’s one-upped by JJ, her sexy rival who’s always one step ahead. When a controversial radio commentator is murdered, both women compete to see who can be the first to interview staff members, ex-wives, cops and anyone else connected with the killing. Then Jolene gets a tip that sends her scrambling to confront the killer. Is her life worth an Emmy? “Off the Air” is the winner of the Tony Hillerman Prize for first-time novelist Christina Estes.