The Fens

March 19, 2018
In Wechsler’s entertaining third outing for Abigail Endicott, chief homicide prosecutor in Suffolk County’s DA office (after 2017’s The Graves), Abby looks into the disappearance of starting Red Sox catcher Rudy Maddox, who goes missing on opening day at Fenway Park. Abby talks with manager Donnie Rourke, backup catcher Wayne Ellis, pitcher Moe Morrissey, and Rudy’s wife, Rebecca, none of whom are very helpful. Abby and Det. Kevin Farnsworth of the Boston PD discover some of Rudy’s secrets, including his steroid use. Then Rudy turns up dead, and his is just the first murder. Abby thinks she finally has a handle on the case when evidence points to Paul “Tags” Tagala, a team towel boy, but her troubles are just beginning after she discovers that Tags is merely the killer’s helper. As Abby matches wits in the courtroom with various lawyers, she meets several unexpected challenges with some surprising gambits of her own. Baseball fans will find little of interest, but those who appreciate clever whodunits will be rewarded. Agent: Victoria Skurnick, Levine Greenberg and Rostan.

March 15, 2018
A third case for blue-blooded, impoverished Suffolk County prosecutor Abigail Endicott takes her out to the ballgame, which is further than the Red Sox catcher gets.Starting pitcher Francis "Moe" Morrissey is only half a battery without Rudy Maddox, but Rudy's disappeared just in time to miss opening day at Fenway Park. While Abby and Detective Kevin Farnsworth, the Boston cop her boyfriend, Ty, constantly suspects of getting too close to her, hustle here and there looking for clues to Maddox's whereabouts, backup catcher Wayne Ellis also vanishes, but less inconclusively: He's found shot to death in the Fens. Both men left behind improbable stashes of cash and sealed containers holding nothing more valuable than scuffed baseballs. Why would they hold onto treasures like these? More important, who's going to be Moe Morrissey's catcher from now on? This last question turns out to be moot when the suspect Abby and Kevin arrest for Ellis' murder tells them Moe paid him to do the job. Now Abby (The Graves, 2017, etc.), whose parents have cut her off because they disapprove of her work, has to confront not only one of the most popular guys in the city, but every single potential juror who resents the fact that he's out of the Bosox rotation and wants to get his autograph. With every step Abby takes toward unfolding her case in and out of court, Moe and his wily attorney, Anthony Cashman, spring another nasty surprise that neutralizes her advantage or sends her into a defensive huddle. It's especially ironic that when one of her key witnesses is accused of racial prejudice, Abby herself has good reason to know how apt that charge is. By the time the trial ends, you can practically hear her counting down the days till football season begins.Foursquare investigation of the sort prosecuting attorneys do mainly in fiction, followed by a rousing, albeit unsubtle, courtroom battle. Throw the book at him.

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April 1, 2018
Abby Endicott, the chief of the DA's homicide unit in Boston (The Graves, 2017), may become the most hated woman in Beantown if she charges a star Red Sox player with the murder of two of his teammates. Abby's personal life is no less drama free. Her musician boyfriend is losing patience with her intimate working relationship with her partner, Kevin, and with her escalating wine consumption. Abby's mother has recently returned from rehab, and her casual and near immediate relapse is a sobering reminder of the family's susceptibility to addiction. Abby's wealthy parents continue to withhold access to the family fortune as long as she's in such a dangerous job, adding another layer of tension to all of her relationships. Abby's compelling personal story and the challenging cases she's investigating make this a series with strong appeal for fans of Alafair Burke, Lisa Gardner, and Tess Gerritsen.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)