The Man in the Microwave Oven

August 15, 2020
Theophania Bogart, a fugitive from British high society, finds that her second case takes her outside her circle of friends but not out of her embattled San Francisco neighborhood. Who could possibly have wanted to shoot attorney Katrina Dermody to death as she sat in the Tesla she'd made sure everyone in Fabian Gardens knew about? Theo, who discovers her body, knows she can start with the fellow tenants who opposed predatory developer Amos Noble's determined attempt to plant a condo in the neighborhood. Her suspicions intensify when she insinuates herself into Katrina's office and emerges with a folder documenting the juicy secrets of every tenant from Sabina Talbot, the daughter of anti-condo demonstrators Guillermo and Ruth D'Allessio (child out of wedlock), to wine company owners Jesus and Luis Aguardo (sale of liquor to teen who drank himself to death) to Angela Lacerda (high school abortion) to Theo herself, a photographer who changed her name and fled the press when her father, a noted English portraitist, stabbed her mother to death. As if that weren't a rich enough field, a visit from priest/spymaster Sergei Wolf alerts Theo to the existence of a venerable espionage organization spanning generations whose members include both her beloved grandfather Clement Pryce-Fitton and Katrina. Where will the complications end? Not even at the Acknowledgments, whose first line identifies a real-life mystery a good deal more lighthearted than the higher-stakes case Theo's plunged into. Colorful, bustling, and stuffed to the brim with endless complications and a throwaway killer.

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August 31, 2020
In Cox’s madcap second mystery featuring British expat Theophania Bogart (after 2015’s The Man on the Washing Machine), cutthroat attorney Katrina Dermody hints that she’s aware Theo is living in San Francisco under an assumed name. Theo fears Katrina will divulge her secrets in retaliation for opposing Katrina’s client’s construction of a high-rise condo in their Fabian Gardens neighborhood. Before Theo can determine what Katrina knows about her scandalous past, however, someone murders the attorney. To further complicate matters, aging priest Sergei Wolf visits Theo’s store, Aromas, with an urgent message for her grandfather, Clement Pryce-Fitton. Theo relays the information to Clement, who reveals that he’s former British intelligence and advises Theo to be on alert, as Sergei’s communiqué was a coded distress signal. Cox cleverly entwines the two seemingly unrelated story lines, upping the tale’s stakes and body count. Endearingly eccentric characters and a vividly sketched setting help distract from the contrived setup and dubious denouement. Fans of Donna Andrews will appreciate Cox’s zany style. Agent: Susanna Einstein, Einstein Literary Management.

Starred review from October 1, 2020

Fleeing a family scandal in London, Theo Bogart moved to San Francisco, changed her name, bought a building, opened a bath-and-body shop, and found friends and love. Now she feels guilty about lying to her friends and lover. Somehow, Katrina Dermody, a lawyer who stirs up trouble locally, discovers Theo's identity and threatens her. When Theo finds Katrina's dead body, she's actually relieved, and breaks into Katrina's office to steal her files. She's not the only one who breaks in, though someone chases Theo, shooting at her. Inspector Lichlyter is a little suspicious, but she already knows Theo's identity because she was lead investigator the last time Theo was involved in a murder. Things get worse when a Ukrainian priest shows up looking for Theo's grandfather, who followed her to the States, and Theo's grandfather reveals he knows the man because they were both spies. When the priest ends up dead, and her grandfather is arrested, Theo develops a few investigative skills of her own. VERDICT The follow-up to Cox's award-winning The Man on the Washing Machine includes a delightful amateur sleuth and eccentric characters with appeal for fans of traditional mysteries. The intricate plotting will keep readers guessing.--Lesa Holstine, Evansville Vanderburgh P.L., IN

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