Requiem for a Gypsy

Genelin once again makes present-day Slovakia a compelling backdrop for murder in his superb fourth novel featuring Police Commander Jana Matinova (after 2010's The Magician's Accomplice). At a high-profile party hosted by Oto Bogan, a financier with political aspirations who fears assassination, a gunman opens fires, killing Bogan's wife, Klara. Since Matinova witnessed the attack, she's officially excluded from the investigation, but she finds a way to involve herself and explore the theory that Klara was the intended victim all along. The death of an elderly Bogan relative in France may be connected with the hit, and the disappearance of Bogan and his son complicates a knotty plot that ranks as one of the series' best. Martinova pursues the truth in Berlin and Paris to her peril. Genelin's no-nonsense lead will appeal to fans of strong female detectives such as Kinsey Millhone, V.I. Warshawski, and Jane Tennison. (July)