A Moment in Crime

October 15, 2018
Allen’s capable sequel to Santa Fe Mourning, likewise set in Santa Fe, N.Mex., in 1922, immerses artist Maddie Vaughn-Alwin in the world of motion pictures. Famed Hollywood director Luther Bishop decides to use Santa Fe as the backdrop for his next movie, and Maddie’s beloved actress cousin, Gwendolyn Astor, is on the casting list. Maddie and Gwen’s happy reunion is short-lived when Maddie finds Luther strangled in his office, and Gwen, who was having an affair with the director, is arrested for his murder. When Maddie discovers that Luther had plenty of enemies, including his nonchalant wife and several blackmailed actors, she enlists the help of “dishy doctor” David Cole to prove Gwen’s innocence. Despite some repetitive passages and relatively slow pacing, readers will appreciate Allen’s likable group of characters, acute attention to historical details, and cameos of such real-life celebrities as poet Alice Henderson and her artist husband, William Henderson. Fans will be eager for Maddie’s next adventure. Agent: Gail Fortune, Talbot Fortune Agency.

October 1, 2018
A New York socialite must do everything in her power to save her cousin from a murder charge.Maddie Vaughn-Alwin and her cousin Gwen grew up together, both members of the socially prominent Astor family, neither inclined to follow society's strict rules. The year 1922 finds Maddie, a talented artist, living in Santa Fe, where she's recovering from the death of her husband with the help of her new love, Englishman Dr. David Cole. At an opening at the Museum of Fine Arts, Maddie's surprised to see her childhood neighbor Will Royle and even more surprised to see Gwen, who suddenly appears frail and proclaims that she's in trouble. Gwen has a part in a cowboy picture directed by the infamous Luther Bishop and starring his stunning wife, Bridget, and she admits to Maddie that she had a brief affair with Bishop, whose promises of marriage and fame came to nothing. Because Gwen and Royle, who's working on the screenplay, are so heavily invested in the project, Maddie is drawn into the strange and exciting life of the moviemakers, whom she finds both fascinating and distasteful. While on the set, she discovers the body of Bishop dangling from the rafters, apparently hanged. The scene is certainly shocking, but something about it also strikes her as false. Inspector Sadler, with whom Maddie's crossed swords before (Santa Fe Mourning, 2018), soon realizes that his suspects include nearly everyone connected to the movie, since Bishop antagonized and bullied everyone. Sadler arrests Gwen, but both Maddie and Cole know that no woman could have done the deed alone; the killer must be either a man or a man and woman working together. Whoever it is doesn't like Maddie's sleuthing and sends her threatening messages, but Maddie won't give up as long as Gwen's in jail.Allen perfectly captures the serene enchantment of Santa Fe. Her gutsy heroine has plenty to work with in a mystery that keeps you guessing to the end.

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October 15, 2018
As girls, heiresses Madeleine Vaughn and her cousin, Gwendoline Astor, dreamed of becoming a famous artist and actress, respectively. Their dreams have come true, after a fashion. Maddie?last seen in Santa Fe Mourning? (2018)?is now living a (well-funded) bohemian life as part of Santa Fe's Jazz Age artist community, while Gwen struggles for parts in the burgeoning?and a bit shocking?Hollywood film scene. After Gwen arrives in Santa Fe for a role, Maddie returns to amateur sleuthing as the film's entourage is visited by tragedy, with the law focusing on Maddie's circle. The main attraction here is the flapper-era romance and glamour, along with a thoughtful portrayal of the Great War's effects on the psyches of both veterans and those who weathered the conflict at home. While the mystery element takes a back seat, the book offers a satisfying read for Maddie's fans; it's also a good bet to give fans of Jessica Fellowes' The Mitford Murders? (2018).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)