Victoria Gilbert’s second Hunter and Clewe mystery brings back the unusual detecting duo in a traditional mystery, A Killer Clue. Red herrings, a cold case, a current case, and stolen books all add up to an interesting story for book lovers. Gilbert throws in some Mary Stewart for those of us who enjoy Gothic suspense.
Jane Hunter narrates the latest case for the pair. She’s sixty-one, a librarian who now works for Cameron Clewe, a wealthy book collector who lives at Ashcroft, a North Carolina estate. Cam suffers from anxiety, struggles with social skills, and doesn’t like to leave his house or go out in public. But, Jane has learned to work with her young boss.
When Eloise Anderson, owner of Last Chapter Bookshop, insists on hand-delivering Cam’s latest purchase, both Jane and Cam are surprised by her request. After fifteen years of incarceration, Eloise’s mother just died in prison. Although her mother never wanted her case reopened or reexamined, Eloise wants them to prove her mother didn’t murder her father. When Eloise was eighteen, her father was found stabbed to death in the bookstore, and her mother was the only one in the store at the time. Eloise still doesn’t believe her mother was a killer.
But, history might repeat itself. Jane makes a trip to meet with Eloise at the bookshop, only to find the retired detective, Bruce Parker, who handled the case, dead on the floor. He’s been stabbed, and Eloise is the only one in the bookstore. Naturally, she’s also the primary suspect. But, Cameron uses all of his resources to hire a good attorney, and provide a refuge at Ashcroft for Eloise. It isn’t long, though, before Jane suspects Eloise is keeping secrets.
Along with the murder investigation, there are several other curious cases lurking in the background. Years ago, the heir to Ashcroft died when he fell off a nearby cliff. Accident or murder? The truth has never come out. Then, there’s the puzzle about Cameron’s own identity. Who is his real father? Gilbert manages to include clues to all the cases in the carefully paced mystery.
I like the Hunter and Clewe mysteries. Gilbert, a librarian, understands rare books and library collections. And, her detecting duo of an older woman and younger man are not involved in a romance that sometimes gets in the way of a good crime story. Looking for an interesting traditional mystery? You might want to try A Cryptic Clue, followed by A Killer Clue.
Victoria Gilbert’s website is https://victoriagilbertmysteries.com/.
A Killer Clue by Victoria Gilbert. Crooked Lane Books, 2024. ISBN 9781639106431 (hardcover), 304p.
FTC Full Disclosure – I read a galley through NetGalley in order to review it for a journal.
