At the start of Balzo’s spirited third Maggy Thorsen mystery (after 2007’s Grounds for Murder
), Rachel Thorsen, the wife of Maggy’s ex-husband, Ted, shows up at Maggy’s Brookhills, Wis., coffeehouse, Uncommon Grounds, and confides she suspects Ted is cheating on her. When Rachel disappears and is later found murdered, Ted is the chief suspect. Since Maggy and Ted share a son, she feels compelled to help, despite her budding relationship with Sheriff Jake Pavlik. Convinced that Ted is the killer, the members of Rachel’s wealthy family spare no expense in trying to prove him guilty. It’s up to Maggie to find the truth, even if that means helping the man who dumped her. An engaging sleuth, Maggy puts her own humorous, breezy spin on everything, from coffee lore to the colorful locals, in a cozy that will leave readers guessing until the end. (Oct.)
