Danger in the House: An Alice Ott Mystery

In Miller’s heartfelt, conscience-raising fourth and final Alice Ott mystery (after Danger Underground), a violent windstorm hits Alice’s home in western Massachusetts. When, as a result of the subsequent power loss, a patient at the local hospital dies, Alice’s nursing assistant friend, RubyStarr, is arrested, along with Enaya, a Muslim coworker, for murder. The police are content to pin the crime on a foreigner, and ICE agents soon descend, threatening Enaya with deportation and much worse. As Alice says before entering the fray, “We’re about to find out if there’s any due process or legal fairness still remaining when it comes to Homeland Security.” Meanwhile, a second friend of Alice is dealing with another deportation problem, this one involving an American with Haitian parents. Feisty Alice, who has earned her retirement, offers incisive observations on, among other topics, the indignities of old age, gun control, euthanasia, and the boycotting of plastics. Series fans will miss her trenchant jibes at the political establishment. (Self-published)