OVERKILL

Arizona cybersecurity CFO Ali Reynolds juggles two far-flung cases—the murder of her husband’s former business partner in Washington and the stalking of her salesperson in California—that both strike uncomfortably close to home.

Talk about overkill. The night of his 60th birthday party, Video Games International owner Charles Brewster is murdered, stabbed 17 times while his second wife, Clarice, lies sleeping next to him in bed. Det. Raymond Horn, of Edmonds PD Homicide, wastes no time arresting Clarice, who admits she must have killed the husband who’d filed for divorce even though she can’t remember a thing about it. Adam Brewster, who’d left his father’s home 20 years earlier over his discovery that Chuck was sleeping with his first wife’s friend Clarice and Chuck’s discovery that Adam was gay, is sickened by the crime, which took place hours after his reconciliation with his father. So is B. Simpson, who’d co-founded VGI with Chuck. Ali, B.’s wife and partner in High Noon Enterprises, is convinced that Donna Jean Plummer—the longtime Brewster housekeeper the cops are trying to tie to the murder along with Clarice—is innocent, so she sets up a serious lawyer for Donna Jean. In the meantime, High Noon’s Camille Lee spots a suspicious man during a sales trip to Los Angeles and is convinced that he’s spotted her too. With the help of Frigg, High Noon’s AI, Camille and Ali identify the suspect as Bulgarian trafficker Bogdan Petrov. But what designs could he possibly have on Camille? As usual, the reliable Jance emphasizes methodical investigative work and domestic subplots over splashy surprises.

Two rewarding cases don’t amount to overkill at all.