The Body Snatchers Affair: A Carpenter and Quincannon Mystery

MWA grand masters Muller and Pronzini’s solid third mystery set in 1890s San Francisco (after 2013’s The Spook Lights Affair) finds the relationship between PIs Sabina Carpenter and John Quincannon at a delicate juncture. Carson Montgomery, a metallurgist, is seriously wooing Sabrina, forcing her to deal with John’s unrequited crush on her. Much to Sabina’s dismay, a man posing as Sherlock Holmes is investigating Carson. Meanwhile, John goes in search of a missing attorney who works for the Chinese tongs, and almost gets shot during a visit to an opium den in Chinatown. Both investigators end up dealing with cases involving snatched corpses, though these plot lines aren’t as strong as the authors’ best. Fans of Shirley Tallman’s Sarah Woolson books (Murder on Nob Hill, etc.) will enjoy this different perspective on the series’ shared setting. Agent: Dominick Abel, Dominick Abel Literary Agency. (Jan.)