Robin Yocum (A Brilliant Death) returns to the Ohio Rust Belt for A Welcome Murder. Johnny Earl, former Pittsburgh Pirate and high school sports star of Steubenville, has just gotten out of jail after a seven-year stint for dealing cocaine. He is appalled to discover that his high school sweetheart, Dena Marie, is married to a loser while sleeping with both the sheriff and Rayce Daubner, a local druggie and the FBI informant who got Johnny locked up.
When Daubner turns up dead, Johnny Earl and Dena Marie are first in the sheriff's sights. Then a pair of white supremacists, who heard rumors about Johnny's drug money stash, show up looking to fund their Aryan nation. And a couple of FBI agents, who happen to hate the sheriff, arrive in Steubenville, at which point the whole thing almost becomes farcical, as characters circle each other trying to turn Daubner's death to their advantage.
Surprisingly funny for a homicide mystery, A Welcome Murder is full of odd and unreliable characters who alternate telling their stories. Every chapter puts a slightly different spin on events as Johnny Earl, Dena Marie and her husband, and the sheriff and his wife tell their versions. Since each person is convinced of a different culprit, the rotating viewpoints will keep the reader guessing till the very end. Perfectly paced and extremely entertaining, A Welcome Murder is a welcome addition to any mystery lover's library. --Jessica Howard, blogger at Quirky Bookworm