A Midsummer Night's Scheme

January 15, 2023
The murder of a playboy may not be as hard to solve as the personal problems that pop up for an amateur sleuth along the way. Actor Chad Frivole, a legendary lothario, has returned to his childhood home, D.C. suburb Vienna, Virginia, and reviews are mixed. While some who knew him from long ago are willing to turn the other cheek, the local women are less forgiving. Quinn Caine barely remembers Chad, but she may be the only one, since she notices that, at Chad's big comeback reintroduction, her lifetime friends Ella Diaz, Corri Rypka, and Senya Petrova all look as if they remember Chad's face from a shared dart board. Quinn is surprised by the level of vitriol, though maybe it's because Aiden Harrington, her detective boyfriend, is as easygoing as he is easy on the eyes. Chad's determination to make amends is cut short by his horrifying death right before Quinn's and her cousin Daria's eyes. Getting locked in a car with seven deadly snakes is a tough way to go, and pretty clearly a murder, but the suspects seem as numerous as the snakes themselves. Quinn's amateur investigation is ably assisted by Daria, a church novitiate, until the latter has a bit of trouble of her own. Sister Daria, nee Lizzy Caine, is close to taking her vows when she meets someone who gives her second thoughts. As Quinn labors to support both the investigation and her cousin, a third problem is thrown in the mix: Her brother Bash's potential conversion to Judaism is taken poorly by their folks. Oy. All these problems have Quinn working double-time to solve the case and support her family. Interesting intersections differentiate this cozy series.

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January 23, 2023
The return of Broadway star Chad Frivole to his hometown of Vienna, Va., drives Kincaid’s lively sequel to 2020’s To Kill a Mocking Girl. After bookshop employee Quinn Caine and her German shepherd, RBG (aka Ruff Barker Ginsburg), encounter Chad, with whom Quinn went to high school, in a canine bakery, Chad drives off in his sports car. To Quinn’s horror, Chad loses control of the car, which accelerates and crashes into a storefront. When the EMT responders open the door of the damaged vehicle, they get a terrible surprise. Someone managed to put seven poisonous snakes into the car and fix the doors so they wouldn’t open. Chad winds up dead, having been bitten more than 30 times. Quinn’s boyfriend—Vienna PD’s lead detective, Aiden Harrington—investigates, as does Quinn. Suspects include many of the women Chad dated back in high school and cast aside like yesterday’s garbage. Kincaid provides plenty of doggie lore amid the smooth flowing plot, though the conclusion may strike some as more fitting for a soap opera. Still, cozy fans will want to see more of Quinn. Agent: Jill Marsal, Marsal Lyon Literary. (Mar.)Correction: An earlier version of this review misidentified the character Aiden Harrington as being the girlfriend of Quinn Cane.

March 15, 2023
Bookbinder Quinn Caine has just recovered from her last encounter with a murderer and is enjoying an outdoor concert in Vienna, Virginia, with friends, her police detective boyfriend, and her German shepherd, RBG--Ruff Barker Ginsburg. Making a surprise appearance at the performance is Chad Frivole, a local kid turned Broadway star. While Chad is on stage, Quinn notices a trio of his past girlfriends whispering. The next day, Quinn and RBG meet her cousin, formerly Liz but now Sister Daria, a postulate at the local convent, and her dog, Rueger, for a visit to the canine bakery. To their surprise, Chad stops in and flirts with Daria, also a past girlfriend. As he leaves, he drives erratically and crashes. When the paramedics extract him, they find several varieties of poisonous snakes and a handwritten note quoting Romeo and Juliet. Quinn and Daria stay out of the case but only until a nest of poisonous spiders is found in the bed of Quinn's older brother. This cozy has it all: a literary connection, several budding romances, brave dogs, long-simmering jealousies, and creepy weapons.

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