a general threat
The world’s greatest detective, Aubrey Merritt, has been invited to a 40-year reunion of her college sorority, Sigma Delta Tau. She’s not planning on going, even through her (just okay) assistant Olivia Blunt is encouraging her to. It would be good for her to take a break and reconnect with her old friends, like the retired US Army Brigadier General Joan Battersea, who is hosting it at her ranch in New Mexico.
It’s not until Joan’s husband Fitz shows up in Merritt’s office asking for help that Aubrey decides to go after all. And even though Olivia has just gotten married, she agrees to pack up and head out to New Mexico that night for the weekend reunion. Merritt hasn’t told her what she and Fitz had talked about (Olivia had joined them at the end of their talk), but Olivia does know that it’s a work trip, so clearly something is afoot.
And while there are plenty of things on the ranch that could cause them harm, like rattlesnakes and scorpions, it’s the death threat written on the back of the reunion invitation and left it in the General’s mailbox that is the reason for the detective to show up in New Mexico at all. As Merritt and Blunt investigate everyone who has come back for the weekend, they keep that threat foremost in their minds.
The General has enemies all over the world, as she fought to make the Army safer for the women soldiers, trying to curtail the harassment and worse that they can face. But maybe she also has an enemy or two among her guests, There are successful Barbara and Jacob Korn; Eve Exeter and her husband Conrad Zander, who are about to take their health care business public; Kathy Lafferty, a science teacher, and her police officer husband Dave; fantasy author Bree Jumper and her teenage son Peter; and therapist Nova Olsen.
It was a varied group of people, and Olivia did her best to find out what she could about them. And when she heard the gunshot and raced out to the pool to find a woman dead, Olivia knew they had to find the killer before the weekend was over. And she thinks she can do it. She can solve the case, catch the killer, and finally impress Merritt. But not everything is as it seems, and Olivia will have to figure out how to see what’s there and what’s not there to figure it out.
The Forty-Year Grudge is book number 2 in the Merritt & Blunt Mystery Series from Liz Tully. These mysteries are bitingly smart. This one shows a little more of Merritt’s humanity, as she offers Blunt a chance to solve the crime but also as some of her past comes to light. And Olivia’s humanity is certainly on display, as she and her new husband start their lives together.
I love these characters for the way they interact. Merritt is an excellent teacher, even when she seems harsh. And Olivia brings the details that helps connect all the dots. The wry humor through these books add a sense of absurdity, but there is warmth underneath it (sometimes very deep, but it’s there). I loved The Forty-Year Grudge, and I can’t wait for another book starring these two women and their individual strengths.
Egalleys for The Forty-Year Grudge were provided by Berkley through NetGalley, with many thanks, but the opinions are mine.
