cover image Southern Fatality: A Jersey Barnes Mystery

Southern Fatality: A Jersey Barnes Mystery

T. Lynn Ocean, . . St. Martin?s Minotaur/Dunne, $23.95 (278pp) ISBN 978-0-312-37367-2

Ocean (Sweet Home Carolina ) reinforces her reputation for creating strong Southern heroines with this sexy, fast-paced adventure, the first in a new series to feature Jersey Barnes, a marine MP turned South Carolina private security investigator. Tough, witty Jersey has decided to retire and maybe even settle down with her boyfriend, Bill, when he asks her to help his old friend Lolly, a gorgeous blonde who wants to find out if her wealthy new husband is cheating on her. Grudgingly taking on one last case, Jersey finds not philandering but a kidnapping, plans to unleash a computer virus and a coverup that could ruin one of America’s largest banks. The supporting cast includes Ox, her high school best friend and unofficial spiritual adviser; Soup, an ex-Fed computer geek and gourmand; Trish, an expert at surveillance; and Spud, Jersey’s wacky, elderly dad, who drags his geriatric poker buddies along for the ride. Ocean’s tightly woven, fast-moving plot keeps readers entertained right up to the explosive ending. (Sept.)