Dead Calm
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4.6 • 30 Ratings
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- $6.99
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- $6.99
Publisher Description
A coroner-turned-sleuth investigates a puzzling scene at a seamy motel in this hard-boiled mystery by the USA Today–bestselling author of Dead Ringer.
As deputy medical examiner and homicide detective respectively, newlyweds Mattie Winston and Steve Hurley are dispatched to a grisly crime scene at the Grizzly Motel, a seedy joint for illicit liaisons on the outskirts of Sorenson, Wisconsin. A man and woman are found dead next to each other in bed in what initially appears to be a grim but straightforward murder-suicide. An affair gone sour?
But as the forensic evidence is gathered and autopsies are performed, Mattie and Hurley realize the scene has been staged. They have a double murder on their hands. The spurned spouses of both victims top the list of suspects, but as more is revealed, the case becomes increasingly complex. Dividing their time and resources between the crime and an ongoing investigation involving Mattie's father, plus caring for their kids, the two are stretched to their limits. After another victim turns up dead, there’s no room for error as they stage a scene of their own to back the killer into a corner . . .
Praise for Annelise Ryan and her Mattie Winston series
“The forensic details will interest Patricia Cornwell readers . . .while the often slapstick humor and the blossoming romance between Mattie and Hurley will draw Evanovich fans.”—Booklist
“A puzzler of a mystery . . .. A smart and saucy heroine in Mattie Winston . . .. What a thrill ride!”—New York Times bestselling author Jenn McKinlay
“Ryan smoothly blends humor, distinctive characters, and authentic forensic detail.”—Publishers Weekly
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
At the start of Ryan's enjoyable ninth Mattie Winston mystery (after 2017's Dead in the Water), Mattie, a death investigator for the medical examiner's office in Sorenson, Wis., and Steve Hurley, her homicide detective husband, rush to a crime scene at the Grizzly Motel outside town. What looks at first like the cut-and-dried murder-suicide of a couple of adulterous lovers is quickly revealed to be more complicated but not so complicated that astute readers won't be able to guess the perp. And that might be why a back-burner case involving Mattie's father suddenly comes to the fore. Add a mysterious long-buried body unearthed on the property where newlyweds Mattie and Steve are building their new home, and there's enough meat to sustain interest. That and, of course, the savvy, wry, and eminently relatable protagonists. This may be one of Ryan's lighter series entries, with a bit less witty banter than usual, but fans will still be satisfied.)
