A Deadly Clue: A Hunter and Clewe Mystery

Gilbert follows up A Killer Clue with a lively third adventure for 62-year-old personal librarian Jane Hunter, who works for the wealthy and reclusive Cameron Clewe at his sprawling estate near Winston-Salem, N.C. The action kicks off when Jane retrieves a box of books Cam purchased at the estate sale of the prominent Stewart family. Among the rare, pristine editions, she finds a well-thumbed copy of Daphne du Maurier’s My Cousin Rachel, which contains an ominous note tucked between its pages: “If you receive this, alert the authorities.” The note appears to be from Kimberly Stewart Ward, whose death was ruled a suicide, leading Jane and Cam to do some digging. When someone else connected to the family dies in the present, Jane and Cam become targets in the Stewarts’ bid to maintain their fortune, power, and political clout. Meanwhile, Cam continues his quest to find his biological father. Gilbert’s leads remain winningly eccentric and winning, and a subplot about Cam’s assistant who pines for him in secret infuses the action with a welcome dash of romance. It’s an entertaining romp. Agent: Frances Black, Literary Counsel. (Jan.)