Tumbled Graves

The third mystery in Chapman’s Stonechild and Rouleau series centers on the murder of Adele Delaney and the disappearance of her three-year-old daughter, Violet, near Kingston, Ont., but in the course of that suspenseful story line, Chapman (Cold Mourning) also takes readers deeper into the lives and hearts of detective Kala Stonechild and Staff Sgt. Jacques Rouleau. Preoccupied with the fact that his ex-wife, Frances, whom he still loves, has terminal cancer, Jacques asks Kala to lead the investigation. Kala tackles the case with her partner detective, Paul Gundersund, while her home life is focused on a new role as guardian of her 13-year old cousin, Dawn, whose parents are in jail. As the case gets more complicated with twists, including ties to a Montreal biker gang and multiple suspects, so does Kala’s own situation. Jealous girls are causing trouble for Dawn at school, and Kala must show a social worker that Dawn is better off with her than in foster care, all while fending off a reporter who wants to write a story about how she overcame homelessness and alcoholism as a youth to become a First Nations police officer. Richly drawn characters enhance this well-constructed, thoroughly enjoyable whodunit that will leave readers eager for the next installment. (Mar.)