cover image Poisoned Tarts: A Savannah Reid Mystery

Poisoned Tarts: A Savannah Reid Mystery

G. A. McKevett, . . Kensington, $22 (292pp) ISBN 978-0-7582-1552-9

In McKevett’s entertaining 13th Savannah Reid mystery (after 2007’s Fat Free and Fatal ), the California PI agrees to help her old San Carmelita police partner, overworked Det. Sgt. Dirk Coulter, find 18-year-old Daisy O’Neil because she’s reminded of a missing girl the pair were unable to find alive nearly 20 years earlier. Daisy’s terrified mother suspects Daisy’s “friends” known as “the Skeleton Key Three” may be involved. Rail-thin tabloid queen Tiffy Dante, along with Bunny Greenaway and Kiki Wallace, are famous for their glam looks, wealth and party-on lifestyle. They view Daisy as a fat hanger-on and claim to know nothing. As Tiffy preps her family estate for a Halloween party, Tiffy’s dad turns up in a prop coffin with a stake through his heart. Is there a connection between his murder and Daisy’s disappearance? When Savannah’s Granny Reid, who’s visiting from Georgia, decides to lend a hand in the investigation, things really start popping. McKevett continues to deliver witty crime solving that’s both tart and sweet. (May)