A Sudden Interest in Shakespeare: A Seamus O’Neill Mystery

Breen’s clever second mystery featuring struggling musician-cum-investigator Seamus O’Neill (after Runner’s Path) hits all the right notes. In 2000, Seamus’s boss, Wisconsin P.I. John Ryder, is contacted by Mary Hoffman, who’s concerned about her web designer brother, Tom. Not only has Tom inexplicably quit his private sector job for a lower-paying position at the State of Wisconsin Investment Board, he’s suddenly obsessed with the works of William Shakespeare, despite never being much of a reader. What’s more, on a recent visit to Tom’s apartment, Mary discovered a shoebox filled with fake documents, cash, and a list of names. Ryder taps Seamus to help him investigate, and the puzzle gets more complex when someone close to the Wisconsin state government goes missing and his daughter reveals to the detectives that he, too, had developed a baffling new interest in the Bard. Breen peppers the investigation with plenty of well-tooled plot twists, and throws in some delightful Easter eggs for Shakespeare buffs along the way. Timothy Hallinan fans should check this out. (Self-published)