Red Flags: A Kate Reilly Mystery

Kaehler’s exciting, pedal-to-metal fourth Kate Reilly mystery (after 2014’s Avoidable Contact) takes the race car driver to California, where she’s been hired to coach movie star Maddie Theabo, who’s participating in the celebrity group in the Long Beach Grand Prix, in which Kate is racing in the professional group. Meanwhile, the Long Beach police ask Kate to identify the body of her contemptible cousin, Billy Reilly-Stinson, whom she scarcely knew but who had her business card in his pocket. Kaehler keeps the suspense high as she shifts among Kate’s turbulent history with her father and his family, the investigation of Billy’s murder, the Hollywood scene, and the anticipatory buildup to the big race. Technical terms related to the racing world may baffle some readers, but everyone will root for Kate, a strong, likable heroine, all the way to the finish line. Agent: Lucienne Diver, Knight Agency. (Apr.)