Saving Shadows, a historic Miami waterfront estate that's about to be bulldozed—annoying preservationists and reopening a 45-year-old unsolved murder—isn't enough to rescue its novel namesake. Staying in familiar Miami territory, Buchanan brings back the crew from Cold Case Squad
for this outing: Miami PD Sgt. Craig Burch and ragtag detectives Sam Stone, Pete Nazario and, this time, Joe Corso. Watched closely by their lieutenant and by the press, Burch and posse focus on the unsolved 1961 murder of Pierce Nolan, a legendary local scion and former mayor killed by a shotgun blast. With the help of Kiki Courtelis, an anxious preservationist, the team gains access to his long-shuttered estate—only to conveniently discover an antique trunk full of infant corpses. Subplots are forced: Nazario has instant feelings for Kiki; Stone spontaneously avenges the death of his parents; the workings of an illegal adoption ring comes to light. Retired journalist Buchanan (You Only Die Twice
) is a longtime Miami resident who won a Pulitzer Prize for her police reporting, but this outing lacks her usual attention to plot and detail. And there's not enough emotional motivation for cozy fans or real estate porn for historic house junkies. (June)
