Bad Bird

In Knopf's engaging second Hamptons mystery to feature defense attorney Jacqueline "Jackie" Swaitkowski (after 2010's Short Squeeze), Jackie witnesses the crash of a small airplane that kills pilot Eugenie Birkson, and later retrieves the camera case Eugenie tosses from the plane. It doesn't take much to pique Jackie's curiosity, and before long she's involved with tracking down information about Eugenie and the five photos on the camera's memory card. Her investigation uncovers a startling link to her own family's history as well as Eugenie's. The excellent supporting cast—Sam Acquillo, the star of the author's first four Hamptons mysteries; Jackie's boyfriend, Harry Goodlander; Southampton cop Joe Sullivan; computer guru Randall Dodge—provide valuable assistance when Jackie's efforts stir up threats. Domestic problems and Homeland Security issues enliven a plot with slick twists that should keep readers switching their bets to the very end. (Feb.)