Necessary Ends: A Tai Randolph Mystery

In Whittle’s skillfully plotted sixth mystery featuring witty, intrepid Atlanta gun shop owner Tai Randolph (after 2016’s Reckoning and Ruin), PI Finn Hudson approaches Tai’s boyfriend, Trey Seaver, a SWAT-trained corporate security agent. Finn asks Trey to look into an attempt on the life of Nicholas Talbot; years before Talbot was arrested for his wife’s murder, but the case was dismissed due to lack of evidence. Trey, who was one of the police officers who responded to the crime scene, is convinced that Nicholas was guilty. Soon Tai and Trey are pulled into the orbit of the Talbot brothers, who have a major stake in the hit television series Moonshine, a Prohibition-era werewolf drama filmed in Atlanta. A fine cast of believable—if eccentric—characters includes conniving actresses, jilted lovers, pushy financial backers, and stalker-fans, each with his or her own weighty agenda. Tai and Trey, with all their strengths and foibles, make a top-notch team. Readers will look forward to their further adventures. Agent: Paige Wheeler, Creative Media Agency. (Apr.)