MANHATTAN IN MINIATURE

Retired English teacher and miniature aficionado Gerry Porter returns to New York City to solve a mystery.

Gerry and her granddaughter, Maddie, are shopping for miniatures at their favorite crafts store in Lincoln Point, California, when Bebe, the manager, asks her to come to New York with her and help out at a trade show. Before Gerry knows what hit her, Maddie and Bebe have her convinced, and she and Maddie are packing for the trip. Before they depart, Gerry gets a call from her old friend Cynthia Bishop, who lives in New York. The aunt who raised Cynthia has died under mysterious circumstances: The police think she accidentally confused some of her pills, but a large sum of money is missing. Gerry, who’s helped her police officer nephew Skip on a few of his cases (Madness in Miniature, 2014), sniffs a case of her own. Upon arriving at her old stomping grounds, she finds herself pulled between Bebe, who expects her to help with the show, and Cynthia, who wants her to find her aunt’s killer. Setting up the show is a piece of cake, especially with all the help from her precocious granddaughter, but proving that Cynthia’s aunt was murdered is no easy task. The suspects, all with access to her apartment, include her health aides, the doormen, the superintendent of her apartment house and an old boyfriend. Although Gerry feels guilty that Maddie is seeing few Big Apple sites, Maddie is thrilled to lend a hand at the show, where she even helps catch some thieves. Some last-minute assistance from the NYPD comes in very handy.

Not much of a puzzle, but the interaction between Gerry and Maddie is as charming as the nostalgic look at New York.