Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Moving between Austin, Singapore, and Madeira, Thomas’ first contemporary mystery delivers an irresistible ensemble and a raft of surprises as crime-solving librarians solve double murder mysteries while guarding their own secrets. Building on her bestselling and critically acclaimed Lady Sherlock historical mystery series and historical romances includingMy Beautiful Enemy (2014), Thomas conquers the art of genre-blending contemporary crime fiction. When her husband disappears under a cloud of major financial malfeasance, Hazel Lee trades her Singapore penthouse for the peace and comfort of life as a library worker in Austin, Texas. With warm memories and her beloved grandmother close by, her childhood hometown seemed like the perfect refuge. But just days after she starts her new job, two patrons are found dead in suspicious circumstances and suspicion weighs heavy on her and her colleagues, every one of whom has something to hide. Sophie, the uber-professional head librarian, is a single mother who worries that a criminal investigation could break her vulnerable family apart. The second in charge, Jonathan, is a lovelorn gay military veteran who’s carrying some heavy scars. Astrid fears that her strange secrets and lies and intimate connections to one victim could land her in the detectives’ crosshairs. And Hazel is weary, having already fled the stench of scandal and police suspicion in one country. Soon the core four are bonding together to solve the mystery before one of them ends up in prison (or worse). Thomas weaves the multicultural ensemble’s stories together seamlessly with vivid and frequently beautiful writing. The single drawback is the occasional reliance on coincidence. Between the intrigue flowing from complex cryptocurrency and other gray-market sleights of hand and a kind of serial serendipity regarding the personal connections among the central cast, plot contrivances sometimes border on convoluted. But the setting and the relationship scenes—whether focused on the friendships among the librarians or between the librarians and their family members or romantic interests—are finely observed every time. This knockout mystery mixes the camaraderie ofThe Thursday Murder Club with the chic family and romantic drama ofCrazy Rich Asians. Thomas’ virtuosity shows in this fast-paced and intricate yet emotionally moving mystery. Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Publishers Weekly
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Historical mystery novelist Thomas (the Lady Sherlock series) tries her hand at a contemporary whodunit in this fun if far-fetched ensemble piece centered on the staff of a library in Austin, Tex. Hazel Lee, who has spent most of her life in Singapore, has just returned to the U.S. and started her new gig as a library clerk. Among her colleagues are Sophie, the branch administrator; Jonathan, a high school football player turned program director; and Astrid, a fanciful librarian with a romantic streak. Everyone is friendly but guarded, because they’re all harboring secrets—some deadlier than others. On Halloween night, Jonathan spearheads the library’s first annual murder mystery game night, which ends with two attendees dead. After the police arrive, the staff realize they’re better equipped to handle the investigation than law enforcement, with each of their secrets intersecting to help explain the tragedy. Thomas’s pacing is wonky: the narrative starts extremely slowly before it takes a sudden turn into high-octane territory and the once timid characters become gun-toting action heroes. Still, there’s an undeniable thrill to watching librarians morph into kick-ass crime solvers. This doesn’t totally hang together, but it’s still a good time. Agent: Kristin Nelson, Nelson Literary. (Sept.)