At the start of Matturro’s amusing fourth suspense novel to feature oh-so-perky Florida attorney Lilly Cleary (after 2006’s Bone Valley
), Lilly returns to her hometown of (not kidding) Bugfest, Ga. Lilly’s mother, Willette, agoraphobic and bipolar, abused Lilly and brother Delvon as teenagers, and Lilly hasn’t seen her in 20 years. But now Willette is both hospitalized and accused of murder, and Lilly mounts her lawyerly white horse. Along the way she encounters additional problems both old (greedy resort developers despoiling natural beauty) and new (endangered species sold as “exotic” meats for adventurous diners in big cities “Up North”). A curious blend of chick lit plus woman in jeopardy plus amateur detective, the book is somewhat hampered by overly cute phrasing and by the tendency of characters to stop what they’re doing and explain themselves, just at crucial points when decisive action is needed. Lilly is full of contradictions: germophobic at OCD levels and a terminal flirt, but brave and dead-on effective. Readers who prefer their heroines with an extra dose of sass will find a lot to like. (Nov.)
