A Match Made for Murder: A Lane Winslow Mystery

Set in 1947, Whishaw’s highly entertaining seventh mystery featuring former British intelligence officer Lane Winslow (after 2019’s A Deceptive Devotion) takes Lane and her new husband, Frederick Darling, an inspector with the Nelson, British Columbia, police, to Tucson, Ariz., for their honeymoon. There Lane plans on spending her free time reading Dorothy Sayers novels by the pool of their swanky hotel. While Darling is looking up Tucson’s assistant police chief, a former colleague in Canada, Lane is roused from her poolside doze by gunfire. She races toward the sound and finds a fellow guest, electronics company president Jack Renwick, dead, shot twice in the chest. Meanwhile back in Nelson, Sergeant Ames, Darling’s sidekick who’s been left in charge, is also faced with a murder investigation, one that points to his friend Tina Van Eyck, a “competent, self-assured lady mechanic,” as the murderer. Whishaw ratchets up the suspense as she shifts between the two cases. Excellent pacing, good use of local color, nice repartee between the protagonists, and plenty of high-stakes action make this a winner. (Apr.)