We were killers once

The fourth entry in the Brigid Quinn series explores the enticing possibility that the two murderers portrayed in Truman Capote's In Cold Blood may have been accompanied by a third murderer and that the trio went from killing the Clutter family in Kansas to killing the Walker family in Florida one month later (an actual case, still unsolved). Masterman shuttles between the investigation of retired FBI agent Quinn and the movements of the possible third killer, named Beaufort, just out of prison for an unrelated crime and determined to destroy a written confession left by one of the convicted killers. What makes this latest Quinn mystery especially nerve-racking is the fact that Quinn's husband, a former prison chaplain, may have the evidence that Beaufort seeks. Quinn and husband explore the cold case, unaware that the killer is hot to find the evidence, with the path leading right to Quinn. The narrative is slowed down a bit by overly long chunks of dialogue, but, overall, the plot never loses its drive, and the characters are truly intriguing.--Connie Fletcher Copyright 2019 Booklist

Inspired by Truman Capote's In Cold Blood, Masterman's intriguing fourth Brigid Quinn thriller (after 2017's A Twist of the Knife) supposes that Dick Hickock and Perry Smith didn't act alone when they killed the Clutter family in Kansas in 1959. For Brigid's upcoming wedding anniversary, her husband, Carlo DiForenza, has the perfect gift, a memento from his days as a prison chaplain-a sketch by Hickock. Retired FBI agent Brigid has been obsessed with the notion that Hickock and Smith were also guilty of murdering a family of four in Florida a month after the Clutter slayings, a crime that was never solved. Brigid discovers a letter hidden behind the sketch that leads to a written confession by Hickock implicating a third person, Jerry Beaufort, who was 15 at the time. Now nearly 70, Jerry, who was recently released from prison after serving time for trafficking and drug possession, decides to track down a detective and others involved in the Clutter case. Fearful that modern-day forensics could expose his role in the murders, he's prepared to kill anyone who could implicate him. After his research reveals Carlo's link to Hickock, Jerry sets out for Arizona to silence Carlo. Masterman keeps the tension high throughout this page-turner. Agent: Helen Heller, Helen Heller Agency. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.