Caught in Time

Set in 1815, McElwain’s uneven third Kendra Donovan mystery (after 2017’s A Twist in Time) takes the Duke of Aldridge and unwilling time traveler and FBI profiler Kendra Donovan, who poses as his American ward, to Yorkshire. En route to the duke’s estate, fog forces them to stop in the small town of East Dingleford, where they learn that Harry Stone, the debauched and sadistic manager of a nearby textile mill, has been murdered. Though the constable assumes Stone was killed by the Luddites who have just vandalized the factory, Kendra’s forensic expertise suggests otherwise. Stone has myriad enemies, and the brutal murder of his wife further widens the field of suspects. Kendra bucks resistance to her gender as she interviews villagers, from the mill’s titled owner to a woman Stone harassed. Contemptuous of Regency mores and boorish by any era’s standards, Kendra remains the series’ weak point. Happily, the closing scenes hint at the emergence of a less heavy-handed portrayal. Series fans will look forward to the next installment. Agent: Jill Grosjean, Jill Grosjean Literary Agency. (July)