Kaleidoscope: A Joanne Kilbourn Mystery

Complicated family difficulties overshadow the crime solving in Bowen’s 13th mystery starring retired academic Joanne Kilbourn (after 2010’s The Nesting Dolls). A controversial building project, known as the Village, has ratcheted up the tensions in Regina, Saskatchewan. The developer, Leland Hunter, whose attorney is Kilbourn’s husband, believes he’s just clearing out a slum to create a model neighborhood that would rejuvenate downtown Regina. Since the death of the development’s project manager, Danny Racette, in a demolition accident, rumors have circulated that it was no accident that the explosives went off while he was still inside an old factory. Word on the street is that Red Rage, a radical group opposed to Hunter’s plan, murdered Racette to stop the Village. Meanwhile, Kilbourn’s connection to Hunter puts her family in jeopardy. The slow pace and less than satisfying ending make this one of the weaker installments. (Apr.)