Cause of Death: A Rina Martin Mystery

Summer has been good for the main characters of Adams’s complex sixth Rina Martin mystery set in Frantham, England (after 2011’s The Dead of Winter). It looks as though retired actress Rina’s Lydia Marchant Investigates TV-detective series will be revived, and Det. Insp. Sebastian “Mac” MacGregor has had time to relax and recoup after a physically and mentally difficult year. But a crisis looms as autumn approaches. Excavations at the local airfield uncover a woman’s skeleton, and two people from the past re-enter Rina and Sebastian’s lives—Stan Holden, who has apparently changed for the better, and Karen Parker, who will never change. Mac soon has his hands full with a murder of a man outside a pub and other developments with complex international implications. These will test Rina’s sleuthing skills—along with Mac’s patience. Adams keeps readers guessing as to which characters really are the good guys. (Oct.)