cover image Dead-End Detective: A Piper & Porter Mystery

Dead-End Detective: A Piper & Porter Mystery

Amanda Flower. Hallmark, $15.99 trade paper (316p) ISBN 978-1-947892-79-8

This workmanlike series launch from Agatha winner Flower (the Magical Bookshop mysteries) introduces Darby Piper and her older friend and mentor, Samantha Porter, partners in the Two Girls Detective Agency in Herrington, N.Y. Though the business has been profitable since it opened 10 years earlier, Samantha tells Darby she’s considering an offer to be head of security at Lake Waters Retreat, a luxury resort. Darby is upset by the thought of shutting down their business. Less than a day later, Samantha dies when her car is forced off the road, and Darby becomes a prime suspect in what turns into a murder case. Darby sets out to find the real culprit, aided by Tate Porter, Samantha’s globe-trotting nephew, who has inherited her 60% share of the agency. Darby follows many false trails before exposing a killer whose choices will strike some readers as illogical. Various cats and dogs encountered along the way are enchanting, but the human characters are less so. Cozy fans will wonder what’s next for Darby—and whether she can come up with a more accurate name for the agency. Agent: Nicole Resciniti, Seymour Agency. (Aug.)