Felicity's Gate

Cole's compelling if flawed sequel to The Amateur Historian featuring overweight Chief Insp. Sam Rounder, of the York police, and his younger PI brother, Rick, gets off to a strong start. When someone bludgeons artist Jane Wragge to death with a juicer in her home near York Cemetery, the victim's lover, Moses Mundy, becomes the prime suspect. Mundy, who's in hiding, gets in touch with Rick and hires the PI to identify the violent people from his past who he suspects are responsible for Wragge's murder. Understandably, Rick conceals the identity of his newest client from his sibling, even as his inquiries place him in peril. Meanwhile, the affection-starved Sam, who's on the outs with his wife, takes custody of Wragge's diary and finds himself falling for the dead woman. Cole does a great job of leaving the reader in doubt about where the story is going, but the flat conclusion comes as a letdown. (May)