The Pearl Dagger

June 15, 2019
A sleuthing couple's perilous pasts complicate their present lives. Serving as Mayor Fiorello La Guardia's personal aide in 1937 New York guarantees Lane Sanders adventure and danger. La Guardia's concern for the people of his city, which fuels his hatred of corruption and crime, has won him many enemies. A hot tip to investigative reporter Roarke Channing, Lane's friend and often her partner in sleuthing, soon has them running from Crusher, a killer who may have targeted the mayor. Lane has had many close calls in the past (The Gold Pawn, 2018, etc.), and the love of her life, NYPD detective Finn Brodie, has problems of his own with his family back in England. Even as the murder of a policeman friend heats things up, the police commissioner dispatches Finn and Lane to London to see whether the Red Scroll is still active in Europe and identify its new leader. After five wonderful days aboard the Queen Mary, they arrive and are tracked down by Finn's sister-in-law, Gwen, who tells them that Finn's father is very ill in the hospital--but evidently not too ill to snub Finn when they arrive to visit him. The accusation that Finn has poisoned his father brings the family feud that's festered for years to a head. But the problems back in New York demand their attention. Daphne Franco, the new leader of Red Scroll, has resolved to kill Lane and snuff out her memories of the past. As visits to jazz clubs and famous historical figures spice up the story, the pair enjoy the attractions of a vibrant city while using their wiles to protect the mayor. Readers willing to overlook two unrelated cases will find Chandlar's third Art Deco mystery action packed and filled with 1930s charm.

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July 8, 2019
Set in 1937, Chandlar’s frenetic third Art Deco mystery (after 2018’s The Gold Pawn) is a paean to Depression-era New York City. After a cop friend is killed in an ambush, feisty Lane Sanders, Mayor Fiorello La Guardia’s personal aide, and her detective boyfriend, Finn Brodie, stumble on a gangland threat to the crime-busting mayor. Evidence points to an international crime syndicate called the Red Scroll Network being behind the plot. But Red Scroll collapsed years earlier when mastermind Rex Ruby died. Could Ruby have an heir who is resurrecting his criminal empire? To find out, La Guardia sends Lane and Finn to England, where they uncover secrets, not least of which is that the Red Scroll is somehow connected to the mysterious deaths of Lane’s parents when she was 10 years old. It’s easy to get lost in the myriad plot threads of this gleefully rendered story with its colorful characters, both real and fictional. Readers who don’t mind lengthy digressions and a surfeit of period detail will have fun. Agent: Jill Grosjean, Jill Grosjean Literary.

August 1, 2019
Lane Sanders, along with her boyfriend, police detective Finn Brodie, and reporter Roarke Channing, investigates the murder of a good friend and attempts to determine whether the Red Scroll Network is poised to rise again after the death of its leader. As assistant to ebullient New York mayor Fiorello La Guardia, the courageous, independent Lane is first tasked with traveling to London with Finn to check the status of the gang in Europe. While in London, with Lane's help, Finn resolves long-standing family issues. Back home, they confirm the identity of the new gang leader, uncover the motive behind the killing, and work to prevent a possible assassination. During their investigation, Lane learns more about her parents, who died when she was a child. Firmly set in New York City and London of the 1930s, the story seamlessly weaves the politics, arts, and daily life of the era into the mystery plot. Populated with both real-life and fictional characters, this is a satisfying, atmosphere-rich, and suspenseful historical mystery.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)