Double Take: A Madison Kelly Mystery

In Breck’s intricately plotted sequel to 2020’s Anonymous, La Jolla, Calif., PI Madison Kelly, who has earned a reputation for locating missing people when others have failed, takes on a desperate new client, Travis Moore. Travis tells Madison that his girlfriend, Barrett Brown, who works for a local newspaper, has been missing for five days and the police are doing nothing to help. Madison accepts his retainer, vowing to find Barrett and bring her home. As she digs deeper into the Barrett’s life, Madison begins to identify strongly with her: both are fiercely independent introverts who won’t shy away from danger. The tension rises when Madison realizes a surveillance team is following her every move. Meanwhile, she worries about the possible return of her breast cancer, which resulted in a double mastectomy three years earlier, and how this news will affect her relationship with her neighbor Dave, “the surfer who was her on-again, off-again boyfriend and all-the-time love of her life.” Breck, herself a licensed private investigator, makes Madison a convincing heroine. Readers will look forward to seeing more of her. Agent: Abby Saul, Lark Group. (Oct.)