Deadman's Switch: A Charlotte Lyon Mystery

In this fresh first of a new series from Seranella, crisis management expert Charlotte Lyon—who channels her obsessive-compulsive disorder into more productive, professional hypervigilance—works to exonerate the owners of the Sunliner Express train that derailed en route to Palm Springs, Calif. A recent widow, Charlotte teams up with sexy, motorcycle-riding investigator Todd Hannigan from the National Transportation Safety Board, and the two suspect possible sabotage. Several witnesses saw a mysterious, helmeted Samaritan pulling survivors to safety before zooming off on his motorcycle. Why didn't he stick around for kudos? While Charlotte finds herself increasingly attracted to Todd, she wonders where he was at the time of the train wreck. To complicate matters, one of the two fatalities was movie-star-turned-philanthropist Rachel Priest, whose spoiled son, Sherwood, shows up and threatens a lawsuit. Then up pops Charlotte's dysfunctional mother, who competes with demands for her attention. Fans of Seranella's Munch Mancini series (An Unacceptable Death , etc.) will find much to like. (Apr.)