Killer Physique: A Savannah Reid Mystery

In McKevett’s disappointing 19th mystery featuring Southern California PI Savannah Reid (after 2013’s Killer Honeymoon), tall, handsome, well-built movie star Jason Tyrone has it all: fame, fortune, and a rumored relationship with the gorgeous leading lady in his latest superhero film. Soon after Savannah attends the film’s premiere with her new husband, Det. Sgt. Dirk Coulter, Jason turns up dead in his room at the Island View Hotel. Pursuing lines of inquiry with Jason’s associates—an unstable former lover, a financially challenged chauffeur, and a dodgy gym owner—leads to repercussions for Savannah’s immediate circle. The lack of a sufficient array of suspects, slapstick humor that jars with the case’s serious issues, the tendency to provide key information late rather than with proper foreshadowing, and the focus on Dirk’s reunion with his birth parents at the expense of the investigation may leave some readers feeling cheated. Agent: Richard Curtis, Richard Curtis Associates. (Apr.)