CLAUSE OF DEATH

A bookseller’s reputation as a jinx is enhanced by yet another murder.

Tricia Miles, owner of Haven’t Got A Clue bookstore, would enjoy life a lot more if only she didn’t keep finding dead bodies. She and her sister, Angelica, are co-presidents of the Stoneham Chamber of Commerce, whose latest meeting goes awry when Eli Meier, a rude, paranoid conspiracy theorist, creates a fuss over plans for a craft brewery. Tricia’s surprised when she runs into attractive Irishman Ian McDonald, a ship’s security officer she’d aided in solving a shipboard murder, and astonished when he’s named the new police chief over the objections of many in the department. Soon enough, the murder of the unpopular Eli gives Ian a chance to prove his worth. In the meantime, a homeless young man seems to be stalking Tricia’s helper Pixie, and Mr. Everett, her other reliable helper, breaks his wrist. Gossip moves faster than the speed of sound in Stoneham, but Tricia finds it helpful when she investigates Eli’s death. Though she finds Ian very attractive, she’s been burned in several bad relationships, and even as he seeks information from her, he makes it clear that he’s not pleased by her sleuthing. There are many townsfolk who might have killed Eli, but a surprising revelation about his past opens up a whole new field of investigation.

Plenty of new, guilty-looking faces along with deep dives into the franchise characters’ lives add up to a good read.