Exit Stage Left: A Brock and Poole Mystery

In Ison’s captivating 14th mystery featuring Det. Chief Insp. Harry Brock and Det. Sgt. Dave Poole of London’s Homicide and Major Crimes Command (after 2014’s Reckless Endangerment), someone sneaks up on stage actor Lancelot Foley while he’s walking one snowy evening to his lover’s Chelsea flat, breaks his neck, and dumps his body in a street excavation. Since Foley, a wealthy womanizer, had a penchant for cheating everyone, the list of those with a murder motive is long—especially actress Debra Foley, the victim’s estranged wife, who never had plans to let him creep away easily or leave her penniless. While many women expect the charming Foley’s fortune to fall to them, it turns out that only one particular lady had his heart. Brock’s investigation, though, leads far beyond a few scorned women to much darker and sinister suspects in Foley’s circle. Witty dialogue, sharply defined characters, and a satisfyingly layered story distinguish this contemporary police procedural. (June)