07/01/2019
Gideon Wise and Rashad May seemed happily married until Gideon was murdered in their apartment and Rashad went to prison for his husband's death. Now, four years later, Rashad's brother claims to have new evidence and wants Rashad's former attorney, Ray Lawless, to investigate and reopen the case. Ray's daughter, restaurateur and part-time private investigator Jane Lawless, agrees to look into the cold case. Suspects include Gideon's daughter and son-in-law, as well as a family of fine-art consultants, the Chenoweths. Everyone has secrets, but Jane is shocked to discover that her brother, Peter, unexpectedly back from London, has secrets of his own involving the Chenoweth family. This intricately plotted mystery is filled with a cast of lying characters, and Jane has a complex, step-by-step investigation on her hands. Just as in life, the personal relationships are left unresolved. VERDICT Hart crafts a satisfying conclusion in her sequel to A Whisper of Bones; it's obvious why Mystery Writers of America named her a Grand Master. Fans of unreliable narrator mysteries may want to try this one, which has an entire cast of dodgy suspects. [See Prepub Alert, 2/4/19.]—Lesa Holstine, Evansville Vanderburgh P.L., IN
07/01/2019
In MWA Grandmaster Hart’s enjoyable 26th Jane Lawless mystery (after 2018’s A Whisper of Bones), Minneapolis restaurateur and part-time PI Jane agrees to help her defense attorney father get a retrial for Rashad May, who was convicted of murdering his husband, Gideon Wise, after new evidence points to Rashad’s innocence. Shaky timelines, some conflicting evidence, and an extensive pool of suspects complicate Jane’s efforts. Unfortunately, one of those involved in the case is Jane’s troubled documentary-filmmaker brother, who suddenly shows up. As Jane angers locals with her probing questions, her sidekick, theater maven Cordelia Thorn, does her own sleuthing. Together, they track leads, ponder red herrings, and find there’s far more to Gideon’s murder than meets the eye. Another death and an attempted murder raise the stakes. A few seasoned pros may figure out whodunit before the end, but this is a quibble. Distinctive characters and solid plotting underscore the strength of this long-running series. Agent: Deborah Schneider, Gelfman Schneider Literary. (Aug.)
Praise for Twisted at the Root
“Hart uses the characters introduced in this installment of her long-running series to ramp up the creepiness.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Enjoyable . . . Distinctive characters and solid plotting underscore the strength of this long-running series.” —Publishers Weekly
“This intricately plotted mystery is filled with a cast of lying characters . . . it's obvious why Mystery Writers of America named her a Grand Master.” —Library Journal
“Hart excels at making even ancillary characters fully realized. The prose is top notch and the plot complex and air-tight. The identity of the killer will come as a surprise to even the hard-core mystery aficionados. Another solid addition to Hart’s long-running series.” —The Prairies Book Review
"Jane Lawless is truly a classic detective for the ages." —Aunt Agatha's
Praise for Ellen Hart and The Jane Lawless Series
“A top novelist in the cultishly popular gay mystery genre.” — Entertainment Weekly
“Hart, the veteran crime writer, presents her central character, Jane Lawless, with such consistent and off-handed good humour that readers hardly notice the trails she and her character have blazed.” — The Toronto Star
“[A] truly engaging mystery series.”— Library Journal
“A good mystery engages our moral imaginations. Hart always has done this well through the diverse mix of gay and non-gay characters that populate her fictional world and the meaningful contemporary themes they confront.” —Minneapolis Star-Tribune
“Arguably one of the best lesbian mystery writers out there.” — The Advocate
2019-05-27
An inquiry into a miscarriage of justice links Jane Lawless' brother to a seedy crew.
Four years after the murder of Gideon Wise, his husband, Rashad May, is still in prison for Gideon's death. When restaurateur/investigator Jane Lawless (A Whisper of Bones, 2014, etc.) agrees to help her father reopen the case, she doesn't expect to develop her own stake in the findings. It becomes clear to her almost immediately that Rashad had little motive to murder Gideon, but it doesn't become correspondingly clear who did until a surprise visit from Jane's brother Peter leads to a break in the case. Peter is connected to the J.H. Chenoweth Gallery, and Jane has sussed out that, apart from Rashad, the gallery provided the only other access to Gideon and Rashad's home. Peter's reluctant to help when Jane questions consultant Kit Lipton-Chenoweth, the wife of gallery owner John Henry Chenoweth. Peter's had a thing for Kit for a long time, ever since Kit was the girlfriend of Eli, Peter's former dealer and, distressingly, John Henry's son. Peter's determination to carry a torch for Kit without ruining his good name may prevent Jane from clearing Rashad's name, but the able backup of her closest and most dramatic friend, Cordelia Thorn, gives her a fighting chance at the truth.
Hart uses the characters introduced in this installment of her long-running series to ramp up the creepiness.
