No Going Back

A complicated backstory weighs down Canadian author Kamal’s tiresome third Nora Watts novel (after 2018’s It All Falls Down). Nora’s 17-year-old daughter, Bonnie, believes she’s being followed. Meanwhile, Nora learns that, unbeknownst to her, she barely escaped being killed during her recent stay in Detroit. Nora puts the two incidents together and concludes that her arch nemesis, Dao, a man of great wealth with criminal contacts, is out to get her; her only hope is to get to him first. She’s aided by her loyal friends and her uncanny knack of knowing when people are lying to her. Kamal recaps the first two books in an effort to explain why Nora and Bonnie are being targeted, but the frequent pauses for exposition stop the narrative flow. That the troubled Nora has relatability issues—she prefers the company of her dog to that of most people—is another minus. Those who value humor or wit in their mysteries will have to look elsewhere. Agent: Miriam Kriss, Irene Goodman Agency. (Apr.)