If you've ever wondered what Stephanie Plum would be like with a little experience in life under her belt, Nanci Rathbun has the answer. Her debut novel, Truth Kills, introduces readers to sassy librarian turned private investigator Angelina Bonaparte (pronounced Bo-nah-par-tay, thank you very much). In this first book of a planned series, Angelina finds herself in the unenviable position of working for a cheating schmuck accused of murdering his greedy, narcissistic mistress. Going toe to toe with the local cops puts her squarely in the path of danger--and also in the path of Detective Ted Wukowski, who might be the man to break down her walls.
Rathbun injects a lot of depth into a standard romantic mystery story. Her heroine is flawed and complex, her plot perfectly constructed to bring out all of the facets she's created. Angelina is surrounded by extreme personalities that play off and against each other to punctuate the risks in adhering too closely to a system of absolutes. From the militant members of an extremist right-wing religious group to the heroine's deeply traditional (and thus regrettably sexist) Sicilian father, Rathbun populates her novel with people who can't or won't bend and ultimately suffer for it. In the mercurial Angelina, rigid only in her refusal to compromise herself, however, she shows us the many perks of flexibility. For mystery lovers, or fans of romantic suspense, Nanci Rathbun is one to watch. --Judie Evans, librarian