cover image The Color of Light: A Maggie MacGowen Mystery

The Color of Light: A Maggie MacGowen Mystery

Wendy Hornsby. Perseverance (SCB, dist.), $15.95 trade paper (272p) ISBN 978-1-56474-542-2

In Hornsby’s intricate ninth Maggie MacGowen mystery (after 2012’s The Hanging), filmmaker Maggie uncovers a film shot by her late father that may provide clues to the unsolved murder of Trinh “Tina” Bartolini, the mother of an old friend of Maggie’s. Maggie begins to dig into Mrs. Bartolini’s past activities in the university town of Berkeley, Calif., as well as the woman’s youth in Vietnam, ably assisted by her high school boyfriend, Det. Kevin Halloran of the Berkeley PD; her current boyfriend, sexy French diplomat Jean-Paul Bernard; and her inimitable uncle and agent, Max MacGowen. Further complications ensue with the erratic behavior of Kevin’s wife, Lacy, and creepy former classmate Larry Nordquist, an ex-con who drops cryptic hints about the case and lingers uncomfortably close to the MacGowen house. Readers may be a bit disappointed when certain issues are resolved offstage, but the complex relationships between the locals, multiple twists, and brisk pace compensate. (Apr.)