A Hard Day for a Hangover

In bestseller Jones’s enjoyable third and final mystery featuring Sunshine Vicram, the sheriff of Del Sol, N.Mex. (after 2021’s A Good Day for Chardonnay), Sunshine has her hands full dealing with murders, assaults, robberies, a sniper attack, an escaped prisoner, and a pregnant raccoon, not to mention the tourist town’s resident flasher, who ends up in the emergency room with a knitting needle embedded in his neck, claiming to have been attacked by a gang. Distinctive supporting characters who aid in Sunshine’s investigations include her chief deputy, Quincy Cooper; her 15-year-old daughter, Auri; and Levi Ravinder, the man she has “been in love with since childhood.” Meanwhile, Sunshine has to sort out her complicated love life as well as Auri’s. As Del Sol is “like Peyton Place on crystal meth,” there’s indeed a whole lot of sorting out to do. Fans will be delighted to see Sunshine and her kinfolk heading for a rosy future. Newcomers are advised to start with book one. Agent: Alexandra Machinist, ICM Partners. (Dec.)