Kathryn R. Wall, Bishop's Reach: A Bay Tanner Mystery

Bishop's Reach: A Bay Tanner Mystery

Kathryn R. Wall

St. Martin's, June 2006, $24.95

ISBN 0312337957

After two difficult years, private investigator Erik Whiteside finally succeeds in finding the bad boy brother Win Hammond of elderly Miss Addie. Not long afterward, Win returns to Hilton Head, allegedly to see his sister. However, Erik's "partner" at Simpson and Tanner, Inquiry Agents Lydia "Bay" Tanner wonders what the odious Win really wants. She and her family, friends of Miss Addie, plan to insure her sibling does not rip her off, as they expect him to try.

At the same time that the prodigal brother returns home, Bay and Erik have two other clients. Karen Zwilling, better known to her customers as Britt Swensen, an escort service employee, wants Bay to find a male rapist, and a Georgia socialite, Star Kennedy wants her to locate her beloved Wade who vanished without a trace. When a badly battered corpse is found on the beach, Bay ponders if one of her cases has just been solved, but which one? Not sure, she keeps digging until she finds herself being yanked by the wealthy and the poor of the underbellies of society.

The sixth Bay Tanner regional mystery is a terrific entry, as three distinct cases keep the Inquiry Agent and her wannabe partner Erik hopping. The Savannah feel to the delightful storyline augments the investigations that Bay and Erik conduct. Fans of Southern heated mysteries will want to read Kathryn R. Wall's latest Georgia peach escapades.