Brooklyn Graves: An Erica Donato Mystery

In Stein’s fine follow-up to 2013’s Brooklyn Bones, Erica Donato, a widow living in Brooklyn, struggles to finish her Ph.D. and raise her teenage daughter, Chris, while keeping some shreds of her humanity. She doesn’t need more distractions; in particular, she doesn’t expect to get involved in amateur sleuthing when a friend’s husband is murdered or when a self-centered art historian demands her help tracking down a lost Tiffany window. However, her generous sympathy combines with her professional curiosity to lead her ever deeper into the lives of people who may have uncomfortable, dangerous secrets. Stein gives an economical but vivid sense of Erica’s Brooklyn neighborhood, and the characterization is wonderful—especially the wryly self-aware narrator’s recognition of how much her own confusion is mirrored in her daughter’s behavior. That the last pages collapse into coincidence and rushed summary doesn’t quite spoil the pleasure of spending time with Erica and her acquaintances. (Mar.)