The Shallows

Starred review from April 15, 2019
In bestseller Goldman’s superior third mystery featuring Minneapolis PI Nils Shapiro of Stone Arch Investigations (after 2018’s Broken Ice), Nils looks into the murder of lawyer Todd Rabinowitz—found below the surface of a lake secured to a pier with a fish stringer through his mouth—at the request of the victim’s widow, Robin. The Greater Lake Minnetonka PD is also on the case. Robin admits to Nils that she was having a relationship with sculptor Arndt Kjellgren, but insists that the murder was connected to Todd’s legal firm. While visiting the firm, Nils spies local far-right political candidate Karin Tressler just before the announcement of a bomb threat against the lawyers. The bombing is followed by Arndt’s arrest and subsequent suspicious escape from the GLMPD. An apparent murder suicide raises the ante. Fortunately, Nils can turn for support to great people from Stone Arch, the Minneapolis PD, and the FBI. Goldman seasons the complicated puzzle with healthy doses of dry wit and meaningful secondary stories for his characters. Hopefully, Nils and company will return soon. Agent: Jennifer Weltz, Jean V. Naggar Literary.

Starred review from May 1, 2019

In Minneapolis, everyone wants Nils Shapiro as a private investigator. Nils suspects there's more to it than his little bit of fame. First, Todd Rabinowitz's widow Robin begs him to look into her husband's brutal murder. She found the body in the lake, and she's scared. But she's not the only one asking for his help. Everyone else is hoping Nils will catch the killer, from the local cops to Rabinowitz's law firm to the FBI. The law firm had hoped to avoid attention, though that blows up when there's a bomb threat while a prominent politician is in the building. While a few people want Nils out of the way, the wily cop-turned-PI has too many friends and tricks of his own to be set up. Instead, he manages to finagle his way through the tangled mess, while dealing with his confusingpersonal life. Bodies pile up in this gritty, ripped-from-the headlines page-turner. VERDICT The wry, witty private investigator is back in this sequel to Broken Ice. Fans of classic hard-boiled crime novels of the 1930s and 1940s will appreciate Nils's intelligence and likable coworkers, who star in a novel that is timely, not old-fashioned, and featuring a riveting story.--Lesa Holstine, Evansville Vanderburgh P.L., IN

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