The Lost Women of Lost Lake

In Hart’s engaging 19th Jane Lawless mystery (after 2010’s The Cruel Ever After), the lesbian restaurateur, who’s taking a well-earned vacation at the family cabin in northern Minnesota, tries to decide once and for all whether to partner with longtime friend PI A.J. Nolan, who recently took a bullet in the stomach meant for her. Meanwhile, Jane’s drama diva BFF, Cordelia Thorn, recruits her to babysit playwright Tessa Cornell, a mutual friend in Lost Lake, Minn., who’s sidelined by a sprained ankle. , The Ayckbourn farce Tessa’s directing can’t go on without her, but Cornelia plans to step in as backup while Jane plays nursemaid. What neither Jane nor Cornelia can fix is Tessa’s frantic distress over the appearance in Lost Lake of a mysterious man in a Chicago White Sox cap, who claims to be looking for a woman he calls Judy Clark. Guns get passed around, and, lickety-split, somebody’s found shot to death. Jane, temporary amateur sleuth, comes to the rescue in this sometimes bittersweet effort. (Oct.)