HARRIET TELLS THE TRUTH

Lively Harriet Wermer returns for a third congenial mystery on idyllic Marble Island.

As the end of summer nears, Harriet grapples with conflicted feelings about leaving her grandmother Nanu’s bed-and-breakfast and returning to the mainland to be with her parents and new baby brother. But when Nanu’s beloved dog suffers a medical emergency from eating something toxic—closely followed by a similar episode involving 99-year-old neighbor Mabel Marble—Harriet sets her anxieties aside to focus on finding a poisoner. Harriet, who is Jewish and reads white, has relatable flaws, including impetuosity and a tendency toward fibbing. The book’s titular theme of truth-telling gains more nuance after Harriet directs honest but hurtful verbal attacks at a priggish poet who’s staying at Nanu’s B&B; she later understands his prickliness as stemming from loneliness. Upon absolving the poet, Harriet’s next suspect for the poisoning becomes her best friend, Clarence, who is Black, a development that feels implausible even with a careful trail of red herrings. The book resolves rosily, with the friends teamed up to unravel the mystery, and catastrophe is averted before Mabel’s 100th birthday party. Harriet’s other worries soon vanish with news from her family that neatly resolves many of her concerns. Ho’s cheerful illustrations help bring the setting to life.

A satisfactory installment in a gentle series.