A scarlet death

Chouteau County, Missouri, death investigator Angela Richman is called when married, prominent CEO Selwyn Skipton is found dead and naked, with a scarlet A stapled to his chest, in his kinky love nest. She is asked to assist Detective Jace Budewitz with the investigation; as it proceeds, a second murder occurs, seemingly connected to the first. The two must unravel the lies they are told to find the truth. Angela's life spirals out of control when her boyfriend, patrolman Chris Ferretti, is shot while on duty, and she must help solve this attack before Chris, who has little memory of the shooting, is framed for a crime. Angela also completes the death investigation on an elderly woman who supposedly committed suicide. Details of forensics and police procedure frame this compelling mystery with its well-defined characters, especially the principled Angela, who is trying to decide if she is open to marriage again after being widowed. This engaging series will appeal to fans of Patricia Cornwell and Kathy Reichs.

Distractions aplenty complicate Missouri death investigator Angela Richman's probe of a prominent businessman's demise. There's no question that Selwyn Skipton was murdered. The 70-year-old was found wearing nothing but a scarlet cutout of the letter "A" stapled to his chest. And there's not much mystery about what he was doing shortly before his death, since the room where he died, rented secretly above Maya Richards' candy shop, was furnished with a king-size bed with black satin sheets and museum-grade prints of famous nudes. But who killed Skipton and why remain unclear. His wealthy widow, Estelle, claims to know nothing about his love nest. His secretary admits she was there once, but only on business. A search of the victim's computer reveals ties to a service offering companionship to "sugar daddies" willing to pay for it. All these gritty details make Angela's boss eager to keep the circumstances of Skipton's death quiet. Hoping for a quick arrest, he allows her to assist the police. And Angela's happy to have a case to solve while she's pondering what to do about a marriage proposal from patrol officer Chris Ferretti. But many more problems await her, as a stealth attack puts Chris' life in danger and more deaths rain down, some connected to the Skipton case, others altogether separate. Before long, the complications become so fast and furious that the original murder, with its intriguing setup, gets lost in the shuffle. Multiple puzzles keep up the suspense, but the resolution proves a letdown. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.