by J. A. Jance
Part of J.P. Beaumont, book 9
First published 2004
Detective J.P. Beaumont discovers two corpses locked in a final embrace inside a Seattle School District broom closet. The victims are a school official and a former clergyman working security. Pete Kelsey becomes the obvious suspect when police learn one victim was his unfaithful wife. Kelsey admits his spouse had multiple affairs, but he denies killing anyone. Beaumont believes the grieving widower tells the truth about the murders. Yet Kelsey clearly hides something important. His silence puts everyone in danger because the secret he protects burns hotter than sexual betrayal. Whatever Kelsey refuses to reveal could kill more people than the original crime. Beaumont must uncover what the widower knows before the hidden truth claims additional victims. The detective faces a race against time in a case where adultery proves to be the least deadly sin.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: race-against-time, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Seattle, Seattle School District
384 pages · Hardcover · Severn House
Content warnings: death, murder