Girls of Glass

In this excellent thriller from Labuskes (It Ends with Her), Det. Alice Garner investigates the kidnapping and murder of five-year-old Ruby Burke, “a beautiful strawberry-headed cherub with bright blue eyes” and granddaughter of “Judge Sterling Burke, St. Petersburg’s reigning king.” Recently transferred from Washington D.C., Alice thinks of St. Petersburg, Fla., “as Tampa’s strange, alcoholic cousin,” and is unimpressed by the power wielded by the Burke clan. Meanwhile, her partner, Detective Nakamura, suggests that she step down as lead officer because the murder hits too close to home: five years earlier, Alice’s young daughter was murdered. Alice refuses to do so, though memories of her own child and the way the police handled that case affect how she proceeds in the present case. She soon discovers that the Burke family is a “nest of vipers desperate to sink poisonous fangs into one another.” Labuskes keeps the question of who kidnapped Ruby a genuine mystery until the final pages. Readers who enjoy having their expectations upset will be richly rewarded. Agent: Abby Saul, Lark Group. (Jan.)