Louise’s Blunder

Period flavor trumps plot in Shaber’s leisurely paced fourth novel of suspense set during WWII (after 2013’s Louise’s Dilemma). Since Louise Pearlie has top secret clearance at her job in the OSS, her superiors assign her to look into the file activity of missing analyst Paul Hughes, an economist who’s an expert on German labor statistics. When Hughes turns up dead in Washington’s Tidal Basin, possibly the victim of drowning, Louise’s curiosity is peaked. Soon, she’s thrust into an investigation by the D.C. police’s Det. Sgt. Harvey Royal, who believes Hughes’s death was no accident. Louise finds that she may be in over her head, and could be the killer’s next victim. Her new friendships and the issues of race and gender inequality lend credence the period atmosphere, but they do little to push along the narrative. Savvy readers will have the mystery figured out in no time. [em]Agent: Vicky Bijur, Vicky Bijur Literary Agency. (Oct.) [/em]