A Lethal Walk in Lakeland

George’s entertaining second whodunit featuring Rick Chasen (after A Deadly Walk in Devon) sees the retired San Diego police detective once again probing a murder while on a British walking tour. When a work emergency keeps Rick’s new boyfriend from joining him on a group excursion to England’s Lake District, Rick opts to go alone. His fellow travelers include members of the Texas-based Upton family, two of whom lost their parents in a car crash 20 years earlier. The details of the incident remain fuzzy; some of the Uptons believe it was a double suicide, while others dismiss that theory to protect their insurance payout. The clan suffers another loss when one of them is poisoned during the trip—the first of two murders that reactivate Rick’s investigative instincts. Convinced that the killer is a member of the tour, he interrogates each traveler before gathering all the suspects in one place and walking through their motives in a fizzy finale that nods to golden age mysteries. While it’s difficult to imagine how much further George can stretch the conceit before it breaks, he delivers the goods here, with top-notch detective work and a delightfully cozy atmosphere. Armchair sleuths will be thrilled. Agent: Michelle Hauck, Storm Literary. (Jan.)