Claws for Suspicion

February 15, 2022
Murder most foul is far from the worst development animal shelter owner Kari Stuart has to face in her third appearance. The first thing that goes wrong is the sudden appearance of her ex-husband, developer and investment adviser Charlie Smith, who informs her that he's not her ex after all; she never signed the forms finalizing their decree, so technically they're still married, and he's entitled to half the $5 million lottery payout that financed Serenity Sanctuary. Nor can she buy him off with a mere $2.5 million: He's determined to tear down the shelter, replace it with a glamping facility that will attract wealthy clients who crave both glamour and camping, and share the profits with Kari, who he assumes will take him back. In fact, he's already signed a contract with investor James Torrance, who's fronted him a bundle on the strength of his assurances that Kari's fully on board. By the time Kari learns that either Charlie or Torrance has forged her signature to the requisite paperwork and that Torrance is prepared to sue her to honor her nonexistent commitment, Charlie is dead of mushroom poisoning. Since Kari unwillingly had drinks with him at a local craft brewery the night before his decease and invited him for a showdown brunch that he departed prematurely the next morning, she's squarely in the sights of Sheriff Dan Richardson. When Kari phones Charlie's mother, Shirley Smith, to offer her condolences, her unloving ex-mother-in-law demands that she find out the truth. No pressure there. Not many surprises in the interminable windup, but Kari's narration is pleasantly unflappable under duress.

COPYRIGHT(2022) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.