MYSTERY

Twisted at the Root

Minotaur: St. Martin’s. (Jane Lawless, Bk. 26). Aug. 2019. 320p. ISBN 9781250308429. $26.99; ebk. ISBN 9781250308436. M
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Gideon Wise and Rashad May seemed happily married until Gideon was murdered in their apartment and Rashad went to prison for his husband’s death. Now, four years later, Rashad’s brother claims to have new evidence and wants Rashad’s former attorney, Ray Lawless, to investigate and reopen the case. Ray’s daughter, restaurateur and part-time private investigator Jane Lawless, agrees to look into the cold case. Suspects include Gideon’s daughter and son-in-law, as well as a family of fine-art consultants, the Chenoweths. Everyone has secrets, but Jane is shocked to discover that her brother, Peter, unexpectedly back from London, has secrets of his own involving the Chenoweth family. This intricately plotted mystery is filled with a cast of lying characters, and Jane has a complex, step-by-step investigation on her hands. Just as in life, the personal relationships are left unresolved.
VERDICT Hart crafts a satisfying conclusion in her sequel to A Whisper of Bones; it’s obvious why Mystery Writers of America named her a Grand Master. Fans of unreliable narrator mysteries may want to try this one, which has an entire cast of dodgy suspects. [See Prepub Alert, 2/4/19.]
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