Beyond Confusion: A Latouche County Library Mystery

In Simonson’s taut third Latouche County library mystery (after 2009’s An Old Chaos), librarian Margaret “Meg” McLean has her hands full with vindictive Marybeth Jackman, her second-in-command who openly covets Meg’s job. Yet Marybeth’s aggressive behavior isn’t limited to the library or its employees, extending into nearby Two Falls, Wash., where a nasty property dispute with the local Klalos—the county’s most numerous Native American tribe—has reached the boiling point. When Marybeth falls to her death, there’s no shortage of suspects—including the victim’s troubled daughter, several colleagues, a number of Klalos, and even Meg. Complicating the case is an attack on the library’s bookmobile, putting its popular librarian/driver Annie Baldwin in the hospital. Simonson’s ambitious plot casts a wide net—from treating themes of racism and religious intolerance to thwarted love and good old-fashioned greed—but she pulls it off with a sure hand. (Apr.)