In a change of pace from his previous five mysteries featuring gay amateur detective Mike Manning (Boy Toy, etc.), Craft introduces a new protagonist, Claire Gray, in what should prove to be a successful series. Claire, a well-known New York theater director, has accepted the offer of D. Glenn Yeats, computer giant and multimillionaire, to be the theater department chair at Desert Arts College, which Yeats has built in California's Sonoran Desert. Soon after her arrival, Claire picks up a colleague from the airport and, returning to his home, is with him when he discovers the murdered body of his wife. At the behest of Det. Larry Knoll, Clare joins in the investigation. As she uncovers truths about the victim, the suspects and even herself, she is led into personal danger and to the final conclusion, which may be obvious to some readers. Intuitive and imaginative, Claire is a refreshing and complex sleuth, who at age 54 is still trying to work out her relationship with her mother and is a little too easily led into a sexual liaison with a student who is half her age. Interesting secondary characters, such as Glenn Yeats, Larry's brother Grant and Claire's friend Kiki, enhance the story and offer glimpses into the world of artists and of the very rich who inhabit this area of California. But it is the vivid details of autumn in the desert, from the sunrises to the sunsets, that will create a longing for more. (Dec. 10)
