June Shaw, Relative Danger

Relative Danger

June Shaw

Five Star, December 2006, $25.95

ISBN: 1594145318

When her beloved spouse died, Cealie Gunther decided she needed to find herself, as she felt lost as a couple. She opened up a successful business, Deluxe Copy Editors and soon met restaurateur Gil Thurman, owner of Cajun Delights, and they share a romance hotter than his hottest sauce, until she decides to end it as she lacked his confidence.

Cealie visits her widower son Roger and her granddaughter Kat in order to see the latter graduate from Skidmore High School. She sees Roger is still grieving the death of his wife Nancy, and notices that something is bothering Kat, who is skipping classes. To help her granddaughter, Cealie accepts a substitute teaching position at the school, and soon learns that custodian Mr. Labruzzo died from a fall, with Kat's favorite teacher Marisa Hernandez as the prime suspect. Unable to resist she begins to investigate, which places her in danger from a killer, alienates Kat by butting in, and desires Gil, who opens up a Cajun Delights in town.

RELATIVE DANGER is more a family drama than an amateur sleuth whodunit, though the latter is cleverly designed to enhance the relationships between three generations of Gunthers. Cealie is a delightful protagonist whose asides (and too frequent laments) and bad run on cars make her a grandmotherly chick lit heroine, as all she wants to do is help her angst-laden granddaughter. Readers will enjoy this fine academic mystery starring a feisty protagonist, who out of love tries to uncover the identity of a killer.