Pride v. Prejudice

February 9, 2015
Agatha-finalist Hess smoothly blends humor and detecting in her 20th Claire Malloy mystery (after 2013’s Murder as a Second Language). When belligerent prosecutor Edwin Wessell dismisses Claire from jury duty, the unfairness of it all drives her to investigate defendant Sarah Swift’s alleged murder of her highly unpleasant husband, John Cunningham. Overwhelmed public defender Evan Toffle welcomes her snooping, and even Claire’s new husband, Deputy Chief Peter Rosen of the Farberville, Ark., police department, is willing to help. Others are not so cooperative, and Claire encounters one dead end after another. Meanwhile, her high school–age daughter, Caron, and Caron’s sidekick, Inez Thornton, are on the trail of the ugly wedding gift that Peter’s mother gave Peter and Claire. The gift must be found before a just-announced visit from Peter’s mother—which may be the worst family crisis Claire has ever had. Spending time with Claire and the other citizens of Farberville is always a treat. Agent: Dominick Abel, Dominick Abel Literary Agency.

March 1, 2015

Prolific mystery writer Hess, who recently won the Malice Domestic Award for Lifetime Achievement, returns with her 20th book in the "Claire Malloy" series (following Murder as a Second Language). Claire, a bookseller, should be settling into blissful married life with DPC Peter Rosen, but she is too peeved by the prosecuting attorney's unnecessarily humiliating rejection of her during jury selection for Sarah Swift's murder trial. To spite the attorney, Claire promises Sarah, accused of shooting her husband, to help win her case. The problem is that the evidence points to Sarah's guilt, and Claire is in a race against time to solve the mystery before the dreaded arrival of her new mother-in-law. Laced with her trademark humor, Hess's latest novel proves once again that good cozy mysteries need not only take place in picturesque English villages--small college towns in Arkansas will do just fine. Claire's conversations with her teenage daughter, Caron, are especially amusing and so true to life. Series fans won't be disappointed. VERDICT Readers of humorous cozies can rejoice that Hess is still turning out entertaining, comical mysteries. [See Prepub Alert 10/13/14; library marketing.]--Barbara Clark-Greene, Groton P.L., CT

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