She Stopped for Death: A Little Library Mystery

References to Emily Dickinson and other classic authors lift Buzzelli’s suspenseful sequel to 2016’s A Most Curious Murder. Dora Weston, along with her newly divorced daughter, Jenny Weston, and their colorful author neighbor, Zoe Zola, are curious when a mysterious figure visits Dora’s Little Library in Bear Falls, Mich., late at night. Poems left at the Little Library point to the identity of the nocturnal patron: the town’s seldom seen but celebrated poet, Emily Sutton, who lives near a swamp. When the women finally speak with the skittish Emily, they are disconcerted to learn of the unexplained absence of Emily’s cousin and regular errand runner, Althea, and Emily’s sister, Lorna. Puzzled by Emily’s strange behavior, the disappearance of another poet who knew Emily, a long-ago fire that took the life of Emily’s mother, and other clues that don’t add up, Jenny and Zoe follow a trail to a grisly discovery. A riveting climax will have readers on the edge of their seats. (Jan.)