Barrington Street Blues

Starred review from March 1, 2008
Two men are dead in what the police are calling a murder-suicide, and attorney Monty Collins is looking for evidence that can be used against the detox facility that may have prematurely released the killer. While investigating the case, Collins must simultaneously face the reality that his estranged wife may be pregnant with another man's child. Arthur Ellis Awardwinning author Emery, whose two earlier novels, "Sign of the Cross" and "Obit", also feature Collins and his friend Father Brennan Burke, is a master at creating a sense of place (in this case, her hometown of Halifax, N.S.) and developing characterstalents that place her in the same rarified circle as Margaret Maron, Marcia Muller, and Sara Paretsky. If Emery dwells too much on Collins's marital woes, she makes up for it with a smashing ending that ties up all the loose ends. Highly recommended.

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