A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S SCHEME

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.