Anne Wingate

This is number 9 of the 12 Deb Ralston mysteries out there. I love Deb -- the way she fits in household errands in between detecting, the way she tosses off snappy asides while recounting a story, the way she picks up and cares for all the strays that cross her path. This was a hard read, though, featuring multiple cases of horrific rape and sexual abuse. I'm glad to have rounded out my Deb collection, but I don't think I'll reread this one soon.

There’s an enjoyable enough read, though I think it’s from before Martin had perfectly hit her stride with the Deb Ralston mysteries. It’s certainly useful for filling in family background. Content warning: bad things happening to pregnant women and babies

retrieving a hitchhiking son and his kidnapped girl friend from a madman and murderer

Murder at the Blue Owl