When Sheriff Daryl Flynn is called to Janet Beeson's house, he suspects the elderly woman died of natural causes. But the corpse he finds has been shot, poisoned, and stabbed. He immediately calls Sara Medlar to photograph the scene, and she calls her partners in investigation, including niece Kate and Jack Wyatt, the grandson she never had. The "Medlar trio" looks over the crime scene, but vow they won't investigate a murder case again. Then half the population of Lachlan, FL, shows up at Sara's house to confess to killing Janet. Everyone has a story as to how they were cruel to the woman, who returned only kindness. Something sounds fishy. The story of a cold case, the kidnapping and return of an infant, adds to their curiosity. No matter how much they insist they won't get involved, the three are intrigued when a reporter and a retired police chief show up. This leisurely paced mystery allows plenty of time to introduce characters and for the sexual tension between Kate and Jack to rise. VERDICT Deveraux's second book doesn't quite live up to the promise of A Willing Murder. While the interactions among the primary team are still spirited, there are too many characters and the conclusion is rather implausible. [See Prepub Alert, 7/31/18.]—Lesa Holstine, Evansville Vanderburgh P.L., IN

In bestseller Deveraux's entertaining sequel to 2018's A Willing Murder, Kate Medlar is happier than she has ever been since moving in with her aunt, Sara Medlar, and her aunt's ex-lover's grandson, the incredibly handsome Jack Wyatt, in Lachlan, Fla. Though the trio recently solved a multiple murder, they're determined not to get involved in another case, even when Janet Beeson, a lonely widow, is found poisoned, stabbed, and shot in her home. This proves difficult when everyone in Lachlan, including the sheriff, insists on coming to them with new information. Soon, the trio will discover that the whole town knows more than they're saying, and Kate, Sara, and Jack are the only ones who can piece together all the stories. What they uncover is a conspiracy that runs deeper than they could have imagined, and involves everything from the local crochet competition to the apparent suicide of Janet's best friend. Kate and Jack's undeniable chemistry helps compensate for one-dimensional characters and sometimes tedious subplots. Fans of Deveraux's romance novels will be particularly charmed. Agent: Robert Gottlieb, Trident Media. (Feb.)