Murder on Location

January 30, 2017
Pegau’s engaging third Charlotte Brody mystery (after 2016’s Borrowing Death) opens in the spring of 1920 with journalist Charlotte still adjusting to her new life in Cordova, Alaska. Her relationship with Deputy James Eddington is proceeding apace, and she enjoys reporting for the Cordova Daily Times. After businessman Wallace Meade persuades Hollywood director Stanley Welsh that Cordova is the perfect place to shoot his movie, Charlotte is assigned to cover the filming on location. The focus of her story changes quickly after Welsh’s body turns up at the bottom of a crevasse. Suspects include the leading lady, with whom he was having an affair; the scriptwriter, who’s also the director’s put-upon daughter; and members of the local Eyak tribe, who strongly object to Welsh’s portrayal of Alaskan natives. When a snowstorm traps the cast and crew, it’s up to Charlotte to track down the killer. Pegau deftly depicts a Progressive-era woman with a complicated past who’s trying to start anew. Agent: Natalie Lakosil, Bradford Literary.