Ex-FBI agent Brigid Quinn retired with her new husband, Carlo, to Tuscon, Arizona. She keeps busy by teaches a women’s self defense class and has a private investigator’s license so she can occasionally help the local police and sheriff’s department with their more difficult cases, but mostly she is retired and enjoys having a glass of wine with Carlo and the dogs on their patio, watching the sunset over the desert.

It had all been going pretty well until Brigid got a call informing her that her sister-in-law has passed and that her niece, Gemma, would like to come and stay with Brigid and Carlo as she prepares to enter college. Brigid is not thrilled, but family is family and soon Gemma arrives and settles into their home. There has always been something a bit unsettling about Gemma, and Brigid, who use to profile criminals at the FBI, can’t quite put her finger on just what it is that makes her leery of her own niece but the feeling remains, especially after Brigid begins to find the remains of dissected animals around their property.

If living with her suspicions about Gemma were not enough, Brigid is roped into investigating the recent death of a local couple’s son.  Although initially it seems like a straight forward case, the more Brigid looks into it the more odd it seems and the fact that the couple are local celebrities who help raise money for local charities doesn’t help things at all.

Suddenly Brigid’s dream of a quite retirement are completely upended, and her own home which had felt like a sanctuary from her past life, now feels more like an FBI field office. As Brigid tries to find the answer to this young mans’ death, and reach out to her increasingly withdrawn and antagonistic niece, Brigid stumbles onto darker, and more malignant secrets than she ever imagined.

I first met Brigid Quinn in Rage Against the Dying  and she is now one of my favorite characters. She is spunky, strong, a bit socially inept, but determined and she is a woman of my age who is portrayed with great insight and humor. She complains about her stiff joints, but she is also capable of doing some real damage if she is attacked. I love these incongruities, which make her feel human and yet also something to aspire to. This second book in the series shows Brigid growing and changing as her niece pushes all her buttons.  It is also delightful to see Carlo growing into a more concrete and stabilising force in Brigid’s life. Masterman’s original plot line and deft ability to keep you guessing until the very end, makes this book a very exciting and satisfying read!

Brenda’s Rating: ****(4 Out of 5 Stars)

Recommend this book to: Marian, Keith and Sharon

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