Publisher's Weekly Review
A devastating fire at the Nillewaug Village Assisted Living Community has repercussions both personal and professional for Lil Campbell and her best friend and now lover, Ada Strauss, in Atkins's pedestrian second mystery set in Grenville, Conn. (after 2012's Vultures at Twilight). The suspicious fire leaves five dead, including administrative director Delia Preston, and 600 homeless, including Ada's mother, Rose Rimmelman. On the plus side, Lil, who writes a column for the Litchfield Sentinel, sees a chance for a major news story. The story grows quickly when the medical examiner determines that Preston was killed before the fire, and Village CEO Jim Warren is arrested for fraud. Ada and Lil take in Rose as well as Alzheimer's patient Alice Sullivan, while Lil uncovers links to sordid secrets in Grenville's past as well as a cleverly concocted scam. A contrived ending may leave some readers unsatisfied. Agent: Al Zuckerman, Writers House. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Library Journal Review
Both smoke alarms and sprinklers fail when a dramatic predawn fire engulfs an upscale assisted-living community, sending scores of disoriented elderly out of their home, including Ada's mother, Rose. The fire is ruled to be arson-and then murder. Aspiring journalist Lilian documents the crime scene, and realizes that getting the hard-hitting story matters to her. Ada-her lover-supports Lil's pursuits while juggling household responsibilities for Rose and Alzheimer-riddled Alice, one of the fire victims. Lil stumbles onto an ongoing Medicaid fraud investigation that may explain why an administrator and an elderly physician died in the fire. Someone's anger has been simmering for decades, and this case is all about revenge. VERDICT This winning second entry (after Vultures at Twilight) in a thriller series you simply must try will have you throwing out any assumptions you might have about gentle seniors. Psychiatrist Atkins uses his background to good effect, employing numerous psychological motives and creating a satisfyingly twisted plot. (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
