“Murder in the Dressing Room,” by Holly Stars (Berkley Prime Crime)
When Lady Lady, beloved owner of Lady’s Bar, is murdered by a poisoned chocolate, her favorite drag queen, Misty Divine, decides to solve the case. Misty is really Joe Brown, a meek hotel accountant, but after 30 minutes with makeup, a fantastic outfit, and big hair — shazzam! — they (Misty’s preferred pronoun) turn into a tiger. Joe might cower, but Misty faces all takers.
Of course, neither Misty nor Joe is much of an investigator. A 6-foot drag queen in full makeup and regalia isn’t exactly inconspicuous as they jump into a cab and order, “Follow that car.”
“Murder in the Dressing Room” is a lot of fun. But it’s also a look into the world of drag queens. The relationship between Misty and their boyfriend, who does not do drag, is sweet. Misty is happy with who they are. There’s not a lot of delving into psychiatry. The book is insightful and happy and sad at the same time. Once they solve Lady Lady’s murder, Misty will be on to their next escapade, and we can hardly wait.
“The Note,” by Alafair Burke (Alfred A. Knopf)
It was meant as a harmless prank. When a man steals a parking place from three vacationing women in the Hampdens, one of them leaves a nasty note on his car. The note’s not about his rudeness. Instead, it reads, “He’s cheating. He always does,” and it’s intended for the man’s companion.
The note is anonymous, but not for long, since the driver of the vehicle disappears. Police discover that May, one of the three women, has been asking too many questions. She and her friends quickly become suspects. As the investigation intensifies, the three begin sharing long-held secrets with each other, going back to the music camp days when they met. As her two friends reveal their stories, which include two other suspicious deaths, May concludes one of them may be a suspect in the killings.
“The Big Empty,” by Robert Crais (G.P. Putnam’s Sons)
Traci Beller is a cute little celebrity who bakes muffins for an adoring internet audience. She’s also a troubled young woman who yearns to know what happened to her father, who disappeared with his van exactly 10 years ago. So she hires PI Elvis Cole to find him.
The investigation leads Cole into an ugly world of red-neck thugs and disappeared girls. It begins when a waitress from a hamburger joint where the father was last seen tells Cole she saw him pick up a high school girl the day he disappeared. When he locates the girl, Cole is faced with denial and two truckloads of heavies bent on killing him if necessary to keep him away from the teen.
“The Big Empty” is structured a little like a Robert Parker novel. Elvis is laid back with a sense of humor. He has a bullet-proof backup, and his girlfriend is loving and loyal. But the format works; it’s a good, solid mystery.
“Tell Me What You Did,” by Carter Wilson (Poisoned Pen Press)
Poe Webb hosts a podcast for evil-doers. “Tell me what you did,” she asks in each segment. Callers confess to everything from stealing a dog to murder. Nothing shocks Poe, until a caller announces, “I killed your mother.”
Poe’s mother was indeed murdered. In fact, Poe, then 10, saw her mother having sex with the killer, and watched him stab her mother to death. The killer threatened her, and Poe never told what she knew about the murder.
The caller reveals too many details that only Poe knows. She’s confused, because years earlier, she actually tracked down and murdered the man she believed killed her mother. Was she wrong? Did he rise from the grave? Did she kill an innocent man?
The caller agrees to a second interview, but then he turns the tables on Poe and demands she let him interview her. On Halloween. The novel, by Colorado writer Carter Wilson, goes back and forth between Poe’s attempt to find the killer and the Halloween interview with the killer in charge. What hold does he have over Poe that she agrees to let him confront her? Does he know what she did?
It’s a twisty novel with a surprise ending.
“Murder Town,” by Shelley Burr (William Morrow)
Eighteen years ago, a serial killer stalked the Australian town of Ranier. Although the murderer was caught and confessed, the town’s economy still suffers. Now a promoter wants to start a “murder tour,” to bring in tourists. But suddenly, the promoter is killed, and the town braces for a copycat killer.
The three murders are all too close to teashop owner Gemma. The third victim died in her shop. Now his brother has booked a room in her inn. Caught in the middle of things, she sets out to find out who offed the tour guide.
While all this is going on, prison superintendent Carver believes the second Ranier victim, an unidentified woman, may be his daughter. He plants an inmate, a former private investigator, in the killer’s cell to find out. The investigator and Gemma link up to solve both mysteries.
“Murder Town” is a sometimes confusing mix of a dozen townspeople, any one of whom might be a killer. It’s up to Gemma to point the finger, and to unlock a half-dozen other town secrets.