Murder Below Zero

August 1, 2017
Summer is slow to arrive in Port Ainslie, Ontario, this year, but the discovery of a man's body dead as a duck and frozen like a Popsicle is even more unusual than the unseasonably cold air. In a town where crime typically consists of an off-leash dog or noisy band practice, murder is in its own league. Luckily, Police Chief Maxine Benson has experience with big-city crime, not that the Ontario Provincial Police officers on the scene care. Patronizing and arrogant, they dismiss Max out of hand, but she's not put off so easily. She begins her own investigation, which reveals not one murder, but two. This second Maxine Benson mystery takes a few interesting turns and keeps its suspense mild. Though her internal musings can feel stilted, Max satisfyingly puts the provincial police in their place through her competence and spirited determination, and in doing so demonstrates her affection for the people of Port Ainslie. Hand to readers interested in female detectives or small-town mysteries.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)