Unquestioned Loyalty: A Teal Stewart Mystery

In her third outing (following A Question of Preferences), Boston financial accountant Teal Stewart is surrounded by edgy co-workers who are pursued by sordid aspects of their pasts. The murder of a homeless woman at the entrance of the building that houses the international accounting firm of Clayborne Whittier seems barely a nuisance compared to the problems in the Clayborne offices: while rumors fly that a partner is to be fired, senior manager Emma Browne is filing a sex-discrimination suit because she hasn't made partner. Emma's lawsuit becomes moot, however, when Teal discovers her dead body, tarted up in parody of sexpot secretary Laura Smart. Lamb tells this story largely in discontinuous scenes loaded with obfuscation and embellished with portentous lines like ``he could handle her. He'd handled worse.'' After assorted business shenanigans and office break-ins, Teal discovers yet another body; by then, she seems to be the only character not guilty of something. The solution rests on past misbehaviors and a coincidence so outrageous that even Teal ends up attributing one of the murders to ``dumb bad luck.'' This is the least accomplished entry in a promising series. (Oct).