A dangerous engagement

Weaver's enjoyable sixth Amory Ames mystery (after 2018's An Act of Villainy) opens in October 1933 as British socialite Amory and her husband, Milo, arrive in New York City for the wedding of her old friend Tabitha Alden. The always inquisitive Amory wonders how Tabitha's father, who owns a shipping company, bounced back so quickly from his reversals during the stock market crash and why the prospective groom, Tom Smith, is so cagey about his past. Then Tom's groomsman Grant Palmer is shot dead in front of the Alden mansion. A womanizer with a shady reputation, Palmer was rumored to be working with bootlegger Leon De Lora, raising the possibility that the death is a gangland hit. While Milo pursues an investigation of his own, Amory poses as a reporter to probe De Lora for clues--but he, like everyone involved in the case, is not who he seems. Weaver pairs a lively plot with colorful glimpses of Manhattan just before Prohibition's repeal. Both longtime fans and new readers will be pleased. Agent: Ann Collette, Rees Literary. (Sept.)

An English couple resolves to enjoy their holiday in New York despite Prohibition and murder.Although Milo Ames thinks their trip may be dull for both him and his wife, Amory, he's soon proven wrong. Amory is to be a bridesmaid in her friend Tabitha Alden's wedding, and although Tabitha's father, Benjamin, has been rumored to be in financial difficulties, both his posh car and his grand house indicate otherwise. Once settled in, they meet Tabitha's fiance, Thomas Smith; the other bridesmaid, Jemma Petrie; and advertising man Rudolph Elliot, a friend of Tom's. Late for dinner is groomsman Grant Palmer, tall, dark, and handsome but with something not quite right about him. While Amory goes about her business as a bridesmaid, Milo discovers that the law against alcohol is widely ignored and samples speak-easies and gambling dens with Tom. Tabitha worries about her father's strange behavior, and Amory's shocked when Milo says he's investing in Mr. Alden's shipping business. When Palmer is shot dead on the steps of the Alden home, Amory, no slouch when it comes to solving murders (An Act of Villainy, 2018, etc.), immediately realizes that detectives Andrews and Bailey will give her nothing like the leeway that Scotland Yard's offered her. Although Milo tries to talk her out of nosing around, she feels she must help Tabitha, who's sick with worry over her father and horrified by the murder. So she goes to visit Leon De Lora, a well-known gangster who owns night clubs and may have a hand in far less reputable businesses. Affecting an American accent, she pretends to be a reporter hoping for a story and finds De Lora magnetic, charming, and intimidating. Milo, who's not best pleased when he finds out, is conducting his own investigation to protect his interests. They dig up enough dirt to put them both in danger as their always dicey marital relationship keeps them pondering the future.Though Weaver supplies plenty of suspects, this isn't one of her best, as it lacks the usual sexual tension. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.