Among Wolves

Sophia Clare, the narrator of Blaque’s uneven debut set in Deep River, Wash., considers herself a cliché: “The college-educated woman who quit her job as a respected project manager to be a stay-at-home mom.” But both she and her husband, Robert, were found to be infertile after her unfaithful spouse shared an STD with her. With motherhood not a prospect, Sophia has thrown herself into volunteer charity work. Though she’s reconciled herself to Robert’s infidelities, she becomes increasingly concerned that he may be responsible for the murders of three women, poisoned by a fentanyl variant developed by Trimble Laboratories, Robert’s company. Sophia’s suspicions are shared by the investigating officer, Det. Adella Cruz, who has linked Robert to the victims, one of whom was a Trimble employee. Finally deciding that Robert is “a self-important asshole,” but not a murderer, Sophia investigates herself, developing a close relationship with Adella in the process. Smooth prose compensates only in part for the familiar “did-he-do-it?” plot, and Adella being a knockout who inherited millions from her movie star mother doesn’t enhance plausibility. Hopefully, Blaque will do better next time. Agent: Chris Bucci, Aevitas Creative. (Sept.)