With each entry in the Constable Molly Smith-Trafalgar City Police Sergeant John Winters series, the plots become more sophisticated, the character development deeper, and the relationships more complicated. In this, the fourth novel in the mystery series, all these elements are present to a high degree.
To begin with, a has-been photographer, for whom Eliza Winters, John’s wife, once modeled and to whom she was engaged to be married, visits Trafalgar, BC, inviting her to his hotel room. She had visited him shortly before he was shot in the head, making her a prime suspect (and raising questions about their marriage in John’s mind). Molly, a third class constable, gets to assist on a puzzling number of break-ins in the town while facing her own personal problems, including whether or not to apply for a job in Toronto or consider a deeper relationship with her Mountie boyfriend, as well as the death of her father.
The conflicts have to be faced, exacerbated by obstacles such as sexist attitudes on the police force, rivalry between the national and local detectives, including Winters, among others. Well-written and smoothly told, the book was a joy to read, and is recommended.
