Dangerous Women

August 15, 2023
A Washington, D.C., crime web is unraveled by an elderly sleuth who looks like Marple but acts like Marlowe. Law clerks Robert Finley and Brooke Chaplin head back to Robert's apartment after a highly competitive one-on-one basketball game and a congenial dinner at the Dubliner. Then an explosion on the stoop turns the friendly evening tragic. The perp is Ronald Drake, a scruffy thug who receives instructions by phone from an anonymous handler who texts him to get out of town. Robert, who worked for U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Clarissa Baxter, is killed, and Brooke, the niece of Arlington homicide detective Frank Mancini, lands in a coma. Fortunately, Brooke rents a room from the 70-something Ethel Fiona Crestwater, who quickly jumps on the case. Significantly, Brooke's laptop has gone missing. After introducing a daunting number of characters with complicated backstories in the opening chapters, de Castrique takes mercy on his readers, and the numerous layers and "surprise" reveals in the sinuous plot take a backseat to the charisma of savvy senior sleuth Ethel, who shrewdly sorts them all out. Ethel is consistently underestimated by virtually everyone except Mancini, who knows her history as a former FBI agent, and Jesse Cooper, a victim in Ethel's debut (Secret Lives, 2022) and now an eager, wide-eyed prot�g� and reader stand-in. The duo has a delightful chemistry. When the initials BLM cause Jesse to wonder how Black Lives Matter relates to the case, the astute Ethel points out that the initials also stand for the Bureau of Land Management. An appealing hybrid of cozy mystery and P.I. caper.

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Starred review from August 21, 2023
De Castrique follows up 2022’s Secret Lives with a bewitching political thriller centered on 75-year-old ex-FBI agent Ethel Fiona Crestwater. On the eve of a Supreme Court decision with major implications for the lithium mining industry—which is all but certain to come down to a vote from Chief Justice Clarissa Baxter—a law clerk from the court is killed and another is rendered comatose by a bash on the head. The attacks draw the attention of D.C. police, the FBI, and Ethel, who runs a boardinghouse in her retirement but has never lost her taste for sleuthing. Employing the help of her tech-savvy, college-age cousin Jesse, Ethel—whose wealth of law enforcement connections, willingness to skirt the rules, and tendency to exploit her apparent frailty makes her a formidable foe—becomes determined to keep Baxter safe from harm. To do so, she and Jesse must navigate the nasty waters of D.C. politics and face off against a hell-bent hit man. De Castrique’s well-orchestrated plot employs multiple moving parts without leaving any loose ends, and Ethel is perfectly drawn, an endearing heroine who’s clever and capable without being preternaturally competent. Here’s hoping this badass grandma pokes her nose into more investigations soon.

Starred review from September 1, 2023

In this sequel to Secret Lives, U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Clarissa Baxter is the swing vote in a mining-rights case with enormous consequences for the country--and things are getting dicey. Her clerk is attacked and killed and his notes are taken, and another clerk, Brooke Chaplin, is in critical condition. She's not only the niece of a homicide detective, she's also one of Ethel Fiona Crestwater's boarders. Ethel, a retired FBI agent, is protective of her residents, and she knows how to use her connections to get answers. Former boarders include the current directors of the FBI and the Secret Service, men who still cower at Ethel's requests. It doesn't take Ethel long to realize that a dead homeless man wasn't really homeless, and he is connected to the clerk's murder. She also knows that Justice Baxter is in danger and is determined to protect her and give the court time to weigh their decision. Any time there is a financial impact, such as on the mining industry, Ethel calls on Jesse, her cousin 28 times removed, who's young enough to put computers and money together. VERDICT Politics and climate issues are entangled in a complex case that still has moments of humor. Ethel's adventures will appeal to fans of Richard Osman's "Thursday Murder Club" series and Deanna Raybourn's Killers of a Certain Age.--Lesa Holstine

Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2023
Ethel Crestwater may look like a helpless retiree, but looks can be deceiving. In this follow-up to Secret Lives (2022), de Castrique's 75-year-old former FBI agent is back to solve another case. Ethel and her double first cousin twice removed, Jesse, find themselves swept up in a case involving the Chief Justice of the United States and DC power players, all of whom are anxiously awaiting the ruling of a divisive court case. When two Supreme Court law clerks are attacked, leaving one dead and the other in a coma, Ethel signs on. Was this a random attack, or were the clerks targeted? When another dead body is found, the case really ramps up. While the mystery won't fool anyone, the story is entertaining and timely, and the characters are well developed. There is nothing graphic in this book, even as the body count keeps rising, and you don't need to read the first in the series to enjoy this one. Recommend to fans of Richard Osman and Barbara Ross.

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