Touch of Panic

Murder casts a dark shadow over Canada's Sunshine Coast in this Edgar Award-winning crime series--the basis for the Fox TV and Hulu series Murder in a Small Town. Gordon Murphy has a Midas touch for business, but he’s all thumbs when it comes to love. So Sergeant Karl Alberg isn’t too concerned when Murphy sets his sights on Karl’s girlfriend Cassandra. These days the happy couple share both a bed and a bed and breakfast. Besides, Alberg has some actual policing problems to contend with: a stolen coin collection, a hapless would-be burglar, local worthies hollering about the state of a fellow citizen’s front yard. It all sounds charming and cozy. But Alberg’s Sechelt, British Colombia, is no Cabot Cove. L.R. Wright, the “master of the psychological thriller,” once again demonstrates her talent for getting at the dark roots under the roses (Booklist, on Mother Love).