Paradise City

July 16, 2012
Mayor’s solid 23rd Joe Gunther novel (after 2011’s Tag Man) focuses on a tri-cornered interstate case involving multiple thefts. One night on Boston’s exclusive Beacon Hill, three burglars break into the house of 89-year-old Wilhelmina “Billie” Hawthorn, who makes the fatal mistake of catching them in the act. Det. Jimmy McAuliffe gets the case and the unwelcome help of Billie’s 26-year-old granddaughter, Mina Carson. In Tucker Peak, Vt., a wealthy ski resort, burglary and arson get the attention of Vermont Bureau of Investigation chief Gunther and his crew. Clues in both investigations point to a buyer of stolen goods in Northampton, Mass., completing the jurisdictional triangle. Another thread follows illegal immigrant Li Anming, a skilled jewel smith who becomes a virtual slave in an unusual sweatshop. Stings, surveillance, and interrogations all play a part in the effort to uncover a sophisticated, ruthless criminal operation. Fans of this first-rate procedural series will be satisfied. Agent: Molly Friedrich.