Review by Kirkus Book Review
A reclusive millionaire treats his social anxiety by solving murders. Cameron Clewe has every reason to be distrustful of others since his father abandoned him and the rest of the family conspired to keep his true patrimony a secret. But his cold-hearted stepfather did leave him enough money to indulge his two chief interests: collecting books and investigating unsolved crimes. These are interests rather than passions, for Cameron doesn't have enough energy to be passionate about anything. Even his feelings toward personal assistant Lauren Walker lie dormant, despite the prodding of his personal librarian, motherly Jane Hunter, to please just do something about them. When Jane collects 10 volumes that business tycoon Macnamara Stewart promised to Cam and he finds a note stashed in a copy ofMy Cousin Rachel from Stewart's late daughter, Kimberly, who claims that someone's trying to kill her, Cam's two interests converge. He agrees to investigate whether Kimberly's death, supposedly by suicide, was really murder, although his motivation seems more a vague sense of civic virtue than burning curiosity or moral outrage. The problem with writing a hero who's painfully conflict-averse, of course, is that stories need conflict to propel the narrative forward. When the villains are more interesting than the hero, it's a problem, even when justice is served in the end. A whodunit most likely to satisfy readers who like their mayhem really tame. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
