Dangerous women

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Title:

Dangerous women

Author:

de Castrique, Mark, author.

Series:

Secret lives mystery ;

Series Number:

Summary:

This urgent, cleverly plotted high stakes thriller is set in motion by a botched attack on two law clerks, leaving one dead and the other in a coma. The ensuing cover up leaves a string of bodies and too many players at cross-purposes. It also leaves Chief Justice Clarissa Baxter with a target on her back. We'll need an off the grid hero with friends in high places: enter retired FBI agent-turned-boardinghouse landlady, Ethel Fiona Crestwater (legend) and her double-first-cousin-twice-removed Jesse Cooper (sidekick). Although in her mid-seventies, Ethel is no bumbling amateur sleuth; she's a seasoned pro with razor-sharp instincts and Bond-worthy skills. College-aged Jesse brings tech savvy and boundless enthusiasm, along with an innate talent for intrigue. Together, the unlikely duo will face malicious back-stabbing political sycophants, conniving lobbyists, and a motivated assassin bent on removing the Chief Justice from the equation-- along with Ethel, who stands defiantly between the hitman and his payday. -- Provided by publisher.

Physical Description:

304 pages ; 22 cm.

Genre:

Detective and mystery fiction.

Thrillers (Fiction)

Political fiction.

Subject Term:

Murder -- Investigation -- Fiction.

Law clerks -- Fiction.

Assassins -- Fiction.

Lobbyists -- Fiction.

Judges -- Crimes against -- Fiction.

Older women -- Fiction.

Publisher:

Poisoned Pen Press,

Publication Date:

2023

ISBN:

9781728258331

Publication Information:

Naperville, Illinois : Poisoned Pen Press, [2023]

Call Number:

DECASTRIQUE

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003679589	New Adult Fiction	DECASTRIQUE Mark	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

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Summary

"A bewitching political thriller."-- Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

"Ethel looks like Marple but acts like Marlow." --Kirkus Reviews

In a case deciding the future of clean energy, everything hinges on how the chief justice of Supreme Court will lean. DANGEROUS WOMEN stirs up the perfect cocktail of ingenious spy-craft and political intrigue of Thomas Perry's The Old Man brightened with the charming, uncanny energy of Killers of a Certain Age. This urgent, cleverly plotted high stakes thriller is set in motion by botched attack on two law clerks leaving one dead and the other in a coma. The ensuing cover up leaves a string of bodies and too many players at cross-purposes. It also leaves Chief Justice Clarissa Baxter with a target on her back.

We'll need an off the grid hero with friends in high places: enter retired FBI agent-turned-boardinghouse landlady, Ethel Fiona Crestwater (legend) and her double-first-cousin-twice-removed Jesse Cooper (sidekick). Although in her mid-seventies, Ethel is no bumbling amateur sleuth; she's a seasoned pro with razor-sharp instincts and Bond-worthy skills. College-aged Jesse brings tech savvy and boundless enthusiasm, along with an innate talent for intrigue. Together, the unlikely duo will face malicious back-stabbing political sycophants, conniving lobbyists, and a motivated assassin bent on removing the Chief Justice from the equation--along with Ethel, who stands defiantly between the hitman and his payday.

Author Notes

Mark de Castrique grew up in the mountains of western North Carolina where many of his novels are set. He's a veteran of the television and film production industry, has served as an adjunct professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte teaching The American Mystery, and he's a frequent speaker and workshop leader. He and his wife, Linda, live in Charlotte, North Carolina. www.markdecastrique.com

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

De Castrique follows up 2022's Secret Lives with a bewitching political thriller centered on 75-year-old ex-FBI agent Ethel Fiona Crestwater. On the eve of a Supreme Court decision with major implications for the lithium mining industry--which is all but certain to come down to a vote from Chief Justice Clarissa Baxter--a law clerk from the court is killed and another is rendered comatose by a bash on the head. The attacks draw the attention of D.C. police, the FBI, and Ethel, who runs a boardinghouse in her retirement but has never lost her taste for sleuthing. Employing the help of her tech-savvy, college-age cousin Jesse, Ethel--whose wealth of law enforcement connections, willingness to skirt the rules, and tendency to exploit her apparent frailty makes her a formidable foe--becomes determined to keep Baxter safe from harm. To do so, she and Jesse must navigate the nasty waters of D.C. politics and face off against a hell-bent hit man. De Castrique's well-orchestrated plot employs multiple moving parts without leaving any loose ends, and Ethel is perfectly drawn, an endearing heroine who's clever and capable without being preternaturally competent. Here's hoping this badass grandma pokes her nose into more investigations soon. (Oct.)

Library Journal Review

In this sequel to Secret Lives, U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Clarissa Baxter is the swing vote in a mining-rights case with enormous consequences for the country--and things are getting dicey. Her clerk is attacked and killed and his notes are taken, and another clerk, Brooke Chaplin, is in critical condition. She's not only the niece of a homicide detective, she's also one of Ethel Fiona Crestwater's boarders. Ethel, a retired FBI agent, is protective of her residents, and she knows how to use her connections to get answers. Former boarders include the current directors of the FBI and the Secret Service, men who still cower at Ethel's requests. It doesn't take Ethel long to realize that a dead homeless man wasn't really homeless, and he is connected to the clerk's murder. She also knows that Justice Baxter is in danger and is determined to protect her and give the court time to weigh their decision. Any time there is a financial impact, such as on the mining industry, Ethel calls on Jesse, her cousin 28 times removed, who's young enough to put computers and money together. VERDICT Politics and climate issues are entangled in a complex case that still has moments of humor. Ethel's adventures will appeal to fans of Richard Osman's "Thursday Murder Club" series and Deanna Raybourn's Killers of a Certain Age.--Lesa Holstine