Blood Money: A John Jordan Mystery

At the start of Lister’s engrossing eighth John Jordan mystery (after Innocent Blood), the prison chaplain attends a political dinner preceding an election in Potter County, Fla., to support his father, the incumbent sheriff. Chris Taunton, the abusive husband of John’s love interest, Anna, disrupts the party by exposing that relationship, imperiling Jordan’s position at the Potter Correctional Institution. Potter’s new warden, Bat Matson, isn’t happy that Jordan has helped his father out with criminal investigations. Sure enough, Jordan finds himself in the midst of another one when a woman’s corpse is propped up against a fence surrounding the prison, with Jordan’s card in one of her pockets. He recognizes the victim as a prostitute hired to entertain politicians at an after-party. Meanwhile, Jordan faces a series of baffling suicides, each linked by a card from a deck featuring the images of serial killers. Lister again blends clever puzzles with smooth character development. Agent: Amy Moore-Benson, AMB Literary Management. (Nov.)