Bloodroot

February 29, 2016
In Riggs’s agreeable 12th Martha’s Vineyard mystery (after 2012’s Poison Ivy), someone uses arsenic—easily available on the island—to poison the wealthy and unpleasant Mildred Wilmington while she’s at the dentist. The dental clinic is a hotbed of lust, jealousy, and greed, but also under suspicion are the four grandchildren she helped raise and who are expected to do very well financially now that the old lady is gone. Since the police are busy preparing for a visit by the U.S. president, it’s up to 92-year-old deputy Victoria Trumbull to investigate. Fortunately, most people are willing to confide in Victoria, which helps her sort through the mess. Meanwhile, Lockwood, the duplicitous and dangerous former husband of Victoria’s granddaughter Elizabeth, shows up on the Vineyard. Despite scads of evidence that Lockwood is no good, Victoria welcomes him. Maybe it’s because she needs his help to unmask the killer. He doesn’t contribute much to the story otherwise. Agent: Paula Munier, Talcott Notch Literary Agency.

March 1, 2016
Think you don't enjoy your dental visits? Imagine how you'd feel if you didn't survive them! Victoria Trumball, who's lived on Martha's Vineyard for her entire 92 years, knows all the permanent residents. She has a formidable reputation as a sleuth (The Bee Balm Murders, 2011, etc.) and even serves as a deputy. So when a murder occurs the week before a visit from the president, she's the logical person to investigate. Dr. Horace Mann, who owns the dental clinic, hates treating the demanding Mildred Wilmington. So do the clinic's other three dentists and their techs. But Dr. Aileen McBride has the honor of presiding over the chair Mrs. Wilmington dies in during Victoria's latest visit. Just to make the case more confusing, the clinic's receptionist is pushed into the water and drowns on her way home. Everyone knows that Mrs. Wilmington did a poor job of bringing up her four grandchildren when their parents were killed in an accident. They all despised her, and each one has an excellent motive for murder. Mrs. Wilmington, whose death is put down to arsenic poisoning, left each of her grandchildren only $5,000 in her will. Susan, who lived with her as an unpaid servant, inherits the valuable house and property, though she's forbidden to sell them. An even more surprising $3 million bequest goes to Dr. Mann, who's been desperate for money. As Victoria goes around the island dredging up clues and gossip, the evidence points toward Dr. Mann. The fact that he's been married for 24 years hasn't stopped two of the clinic's female dentists from vying for his affections or one of the techs from bearing his child. With so many suspects, it's bound to be hard to find the culprit. Riggs, who describes the beauties of her acerbic sleuth's island home as lovingly as ever, provides a more satisfying conclusion than usual this time around.

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May 1, 2016

Longtime Martha's Vineyard resident Victoria Trumbull, 92, is on the case when Mildred Wainwright dies in the dentist's chair. Who stands to gain from Mildred's death? No one liked her, so the real question is, who didn't want her dead? The charm of this cozy series (Poison Ivy) is found in the evocative descriptions of the Vineyard's landscape. [Library marketing.]

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2016
Ninety-two-year-old Victoria Trumbull is at her dental clinic on Martha's Vineyard, having a wisdom tooth removed, when the disagreeable Mrs. Wilmington dies a violent death in the next room. The same day, the clinic's receptionist is found drowned in the harbor. Is there a connection? The autopsy reveals Mrs. Wilmington was poisoned, and there is no shortage of suspects. Everyone who works at the clinic, as well as her four grandchildren, despised her. With the small Vineyard police department swamped with preparations for a visit from the president of the U.S., Victoria, an honorary deputy, takes it upon herself to investigate the murder. By interviewing the many suspects, she pieces together the evidence, uncovering the motive and the murderer. At the same time, she must deal with her granddaughter's abusive ex-husband, who is on the island vowing to bring Elizabeth back home with him. Victoria is a feisty character, reminiscent of Miss Marple, who knows human nature and everyone on Martha's Vineyard and uses that knowledge to her advantage in solving crimes.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)