REALLY BAD NEWS–THE BABY-SITTER COULD BE A MURDERER! A year following Boston-based auto mechanic Alex Glauberman’s first brush with murder, mystery, and the life of an amateur detective (in RETURN TO SENDER), he’s recovered from cancer and chemotherapy; he’s studying tai chi for its pleasures and therapeutic effects; and he’s getting on with his life. Then, in the space of a two-minute phone call, he’s ensnared in another mystery. His anniversary dinner with girlfriend Meredith comes to an abrupt halt when a quick check-in with the babysitter yields the news from Alex’s sleepy nine-year-old that the babysitter has left: “She said it was an emergency. She said the emergency was that somebody was dead.” More worrisome still, the babysitter, college student Suzanne Lutrello, cannot be found, and then her ex-boyfriend is savagely killed. Alex’s newly minted private detective skills come quickly into play, but he soon discovers he isn’t the only one looking for Suzanne. As he outruns her pursuers and their threats, he navigates the world of old Boston money to its intersection with small-town corruption, high-end prostitution, and drug-addiction recovery, in a life-or-death finish amid the stark white New England winter woods. For fans of Jewish detectives like Rabbi Small, Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus, Rebecca Schwartz, Jake Samson–even Moses Wine (without the wisecracks); and those who love vintage male sleuths like Ellery Queen, Gideon Oliver, Stanley Hastings, and almost all British detectives–the ones who’re not too cozy, yet not too hard-boiled. This case is more of an action adventure story than a traditional mystery–but trust us, it’ll appeal to fans of the traditional mystery as well as those who’ll appreciate Alex’s putting his tai-chi training to good use. How do we know? Because Alex is one of those dependable detectives all too rare in crime fiction–a private investigator you actually like to be with. Not too smart-mouthed, not too close-mouthed, just…kind of a mensch.

Repulse Monkey (Alex Glauberman #2) PDF

The list of books you might like