Poison

Set in 1981, Spencer’s tidily plotted 14th mystery featuring Lancashire Det. Chief Insp. Monika Paniatowski (after 2019’s Dead End) draws Paniatowski and her eclectic team into a complex web of deceit. Jordan Gough, biggest public benefactor of the town of Whitebridge, as well as owner of that city’s soccer team, requests that Paniatowski come to his estate for a meeting. She’s not happy with the summons since she’s sure Gough, despite a lack of evidence, has been involved in criminal activities, but her superior officer forces her to comply. Gough tells her he’s received anonymous threatening letters, which he refuses to show her, and fears he’s being poisoned. She dismisses his worries because she believes they’re fantasies—or, as she tells her boss, he’s “playing some kind of elaborate game.” When Gough dies of food poisoning, Paniatowski has a murder to investigate. Her interactions with well-defined supporting characters, such as Det. Sgt. Kate Meadows, “a part-time sado-masochist, and—in spite of her pixie haircut and elfin figure—a full-time scary person,” creates a bit of humor amid a full complement of action and suspense. Readers will hope Paniatowski has a long career. (Nov.)