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BEAR BONES

MURDER AT SLEEPING BEAR DUNES

Captivating characters augment a taut, alluring mystery.

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A Michigan litigator tackles a murder case, coming to the aid of a man charged with killing his wife, in this fourth installment of a legal series.

Burr Lafayette has been working on a condemnation case for nearly seven years. The National Park Service has tried condemning all private property on uninhabited South Manitou Island, but Burr’s client, Helen Lockwood, will neither yield nor sell her cherry orchard. Burr has delayed a trial, which is essential since Helen has been missing for the past year. Her husband, Tommy, and her younger sisters, Karen Hansen and Lauren Littlefield, can’t decide if they want Helen legally declared dead so that they can sell the property to the Park Service. Sadly, someone ultimately finds Helen’s body on the island inside a shallow grave, with a bullet hole in her head. Shortly after, cops arrest Tommy, as his pistol was the homicide weapon and witnesses supposedly saw him riding the ferry on the day of her murder. Though criminal law isn’t Burr’s forte, he’s handled murder trials before. Tommy accepts his offer to help, and Burr sets about establishing reasonable doubt by tracking down “a few suspects.” Certainly, there are others who wanted Helen to sell the property and may very well have resorted to homicide. But the lawyer has a long road ahead: Aside from prosecutor Peter Brooks’ damning evidence against Burr’s client, Tommy is withholding pertinent information that makes it harder to defend him. He may even be hiding details that could prove he’s guilty.

Cutter’s recurring protagonist is not without his flaws. In one instance, Burr tries acquiring Helen’s death certificate before the coroner has even performed an autopsy, much to the chagrin of Tommy. But the attorney’s charm outweighs his more deplorable traits, and furthering his appeal are the delightful individuals surrounding him. His law partner, Jacob Wertheim, is an exceptional researcher but appalling in the courtroom while legal assistant Eve McGinty is perpetually assertive. The story’s highlight is Burr’s yellow Lab, Zeke, who’s typically at his side, including when the attorney becomes stranded overnight on South Manitou and later when he tries to get drinks (for the dog, he orders “Water. Straight up”). The mystery is sound, as Tommy may be the killer but the suspects Burr points his finger at have equally credible motives. While the lawyer is unquestionably taking the case seriously, his involvement in several humorous scenes gives the story a welcome lightheartedness. For example, his conversations with Eve via car phone (the tale is set in the 1990s) are comical: “You sound like you’re calling from a tornado,” she says during one of the few times she can hear him. Similarly, the narrative is largely free of violence, notwithstanding the murder. Burr’s courtroom squabbles with Brooks are more akin to bickering than heated arguments, and the protagonist tends to relieve stress by breaking pencils. The final act consists of Tommy’s trial, where Burr shines brightest, managing such obstacles as sustained objections and surprise witnesses with composure and panache.

Captivating characters augment a taut, alluring mystery. (acknowledgments, author bio)

Pub Date: N/A

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 260

Publisher: Mission Point Press

Review Posted Online: May 10, 2020

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AND THEN THERE WERE NONE

This ran in the S.E.P. and resulted in more demands for the story in book form than ever recorded. Well, here it is and it is a honey. Imagine ten people, not knowing each other, not knowing why they were invited on a certain island house-party, not knowing their hosts. Then imagine them dead, one by one, until none remained alive, nor any clue to the murderer. Grand suspense, a unique trick, expertly handled.

Pub Date: Feb. 21, 1939

ISBN: 0062073478

Page Count: 272

Publisher: Dodd, Mead

Review Posted Online: Sept. 20, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1939

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AN EGGNOG TO DIE FOR

A delightful sleuth, a complex mystery, and lovingly described cuisine: a winner for both foodies and mystery mavens.

An amateur sleuth must juggle entirely too many suspects in the death of a self-righteous prig.

Samantha Barnes is the perfect cozy sleuth. Neither supercilious nor improbably ditzy, she has a sarcastic tongue and a passion for life, especially food. She’s settled into the house on Cape Cod she inherited from an aunt and rekindled her romance with her high school crush, harbor patrol officer Jason Captiva. Sam makes do writing food reviews and producing videos on the same subject for the newspaper her parents owned for many years. In the lead-up to Christmas, she’s extra busy preparing for her parents’ visit by planning a special five-fish dinner and wrapping the thoughtful, inexpensive presents she’s bought or made for family and the many friends she’s collected since her return. One of her favorite restaurants is run by the Brunis, a brother and sister whose enemy, selectman Caleb Mayo, is an alcoholic’s son who can’t abide any place that serves spirits. When Sam mistakes the Brunis’ office for the ladies’ room, she finds Mayo dead from a blow to the head and can’t stop herself from investigating. She discovers that Mayo used his power to threaten many people over past misdeeds that could ruin their current lives. Sam’s memories of her high school physics class provide the clue she needs to separate the innocent from the guilty.

A delightful sleuth, a complex mystery, and lovingly described cuisine: a winner for both foodies and mystery mavens.

Pub Date: Nov. 2, 2021

ISBN: 978-0-593199-16-9

Page Count: 320

Publisher: Berkley

Review Posted Online: Aug. 31, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2021

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