Jane Kelly, Oregon’s spunkiest PI-in-training, and her pug pal, Binky, sniff for clues in their rollicking third case (after 2006’s Electric Blue
). The newest Dwayne Durbin Investigations client, Violet Purcell, is ultra gorgeous, ultra rich and ultra desperate: her prints are all over the silver tray that whacked her “favorite ex-husband,” Roland Hatchmere, on the morning of his daughter’s wedding. Other suspects include Roland’s estranged wife, Melinda, a manic Junior Leaguer; his first wife, Renee, a plastic surgery addict; and several members of the sleazy Columbia Millionaires’ Club. Dwayne must depend on Jane to do the legwork while he’s stuck at home, recovering from injuries and passing the time by spying on neighbors from his window. Soon he starts wondering what those Lake Chinook teens are really doing during their nocturnal parties at a house under construction, and sends Jane undercover to find out, adding another layer of mystery to the tangled plot. Jane’s cool, reader-friendly attitude makes this funny new series a winner. (Oct.)
