Silent Menace

The suspenseful if uneven latest in Carlisle’s Secrets of Kincaid series (after Shadowed Witness) finds Kentucky-based accountant Hailey Neiman still reeling from the murder of her husband, Wesley, whose criminal activity left her a struggling single mother less than a year ago. She takes on extra work to boost her income and is surprised to discover anomalies in the files of Eukaria Investments, one of her firm’s most prestigious clients. Then she receives a slew of not so coincidental anonymous threats and enlists the help of Peter Lewis, a security guard in her building, to get to the bottom of things. The threats soon morph into physical attacks, and the pair races to puzzle out what exactly the culprit wants from Hailey while also grappling with their traumatic pasts and damaged faith. Though the pace of the central mystery plot can drag, readers will be drawn in by the intensity of the action scenes and Hailey’s enterprising, optimistic spirit as she works to remake her life in the wake of tragedy. It’s not perfect, but there’s enough here to keep Carlisle’s fans satisfied. (May)