POINT NO-POINT

Rev. Ziza Todd, barely arrived at Quarryville-on-the-Hudson to set up a youth program, finds her support sought by Adele Baraclough Bloodhorn, heir to regional artist/artisan Aladdin Baraclough, who, together with her waggish sidekicks Fogle and Whooten, is planning a controversial renewal project with the refurbished Baraclough ironworks as its centerpiece. Three murders later, Ziza—who's been fending off the amorous advances of the town's feckless mayor, Monty Monteagle, trading glares with imperious Village Manager Lillian Meservey, and maneuvering among the other reverends of the Community Pulpit—pieces together a surprisingly dense patchwork of clues to identify a killer who really doesn't care for Adele's idea. As in Ziza's debut (Think on Death) last year: picturesque Hudson atmosphere and locals, drolly understated dialogue, and nothing you have to hide from the kiddies.