Acts of Murder: A Karl Alberg Mystery with Cassandra Mitchell

Wright's books about small-town Canadian policeman Karl Alberg have been praised for their precise prose and meticulous attention to detail. Both qualities are abundant in her latest (after Strangers Among Us, 1996), as Staff Sergeant Alberg of the RMP prepares to marry his longtime ladyfriend, Cassandra Mitchell, while a devious killer--unknown to Alberg but introduced early to the reader--is busy killing off various residents of the town of Sechelt, B.C. Alberg himself is still an arresting mixture of reticence and ambition, and Wright never lets his relationship with the shrewd and sensual librarian Mitchell become predictable, even on their wedding day. A new addition to the cop shop--a tall, blonde, 35-year-old unmarried sergeant named Edwina Henderson--has a mysterious personal life and lots of promise (both as a cop and as a character). And the person responsible for knocking off a string of men, women and even teenage children because of some perceived moral flaws is a frighteningly believable creation. Nothing in the telling is too hurried as Wright, much like Alberg, goes about her business with a reserved but wholly genuine passion. (July)