Gimme Shelter

Klein’s frothy second whodunit featuring ex-cop turned aspiring rock star Layla Virtue (after Vice and Virtue) is just as charming as its predecessor. At the outset, Layla is still living in a trailer park owned by her ex-rocker father, Don, and scrounging together a living by taking any job that will pay her to play music. After learning that her father is being blackmailed by someone demanding $100,000 to not tell TMZ Don lives in a trailer park, Layla jumps back into investigator mode. Then her former cop colleague, Dayton Castinetto, begs her to help him with a murder investigation concerning a man who was found in a church confessional with his head bashed in. From the book’s chuckle-worthy opening line—“Not even an electric guitar can make you look cool when you’re playing square dance music dressed like a giant turkey”—to its satisfying ending, Klein makes blending humor and mystery look easy. This series continues to play the right notes. Agent: Annie Bomke, Annie Bomke Literary. (Apr.)