A MURDER FOR MAX

A small-town police chief is determined to solve a murder without help from the big boys.

Maxine “Max” Benson came from the Toronto police to become chief in the small town of Port Ainslie, where she runs a three-person department with few problems, until the town bad boy is found shot to death. Billy Ray Edwards had long survived minor scrapes, gone through two wives, and become probably the most hated man in town for refusing to sell his beachfront property to a group of developers who planned to build a big resort that would benefit not just the other landowners who sold their parcels, but almost everyone else in the area by promising plenty of new jobs and an influx of tourists willing to spend money. Now that Billy Ray’s been shot sitting in his garage, suspects abound, from his ex-wives to other landowners and local businessmen. Max is certain that her local knowledge and the street smarts she learned in her big-city job will help her solve the crime—if only she can close the case before it’s taken away from her.

The latest entry in the Rapid Reads series is a neat little mystery Reynolds (Beach Strip, 2012) and his intrepid heroine wrap up within a single day.