Circle in the water

Fans of Muller's San Francisco--based PI Sharon McCone (last seen in Ice and Stone, 2021) will be delighted that the hardworking sleuth is back in another action-packed adventure. This time out, McCone's been hired by a local association of homeowners on some of San Francisco's quaint, privately owned streets. Vandals have been sabotaging their properties, and while the damage so far has been relatively minor, the victims are afraid the vandalism will escalate into something far worse. But as McCone investigates, she finds dead end after dead end until she begins to uncover the truth. Simmering tensions escalate into open violence, and McCone knows she's turned over a rock beneath which are buried dark, ugly secrets. When she finally discovers who's behind the scheme, it's a revelation that's shocking and yet not entirely unexpected, involving the highest levels of local government and including unscrupulous and greedy members of the city's wealthy elite. McCone cracks the twist-filled case with her usual skill and persistence, offering a satisfying conclusion to a challenging assignment.

Just when you think things can't get any worse for San Francisco, miscreants prowl the area determined to prove otherwise. Someone has it in for several of the city's privately owned roads. Now that vandals have dumped fertilizer, broken windows, spray-painted graffiti, and otherwise made life miserable for the residents of four different streets, a grassroots neighborhood coalition has hired private investigator Sharon McCone to keep an eye on Rowan Court, the most recent target, presumably so that she can report on the horse that's already left the barn. A map that's dropped off at the home of Ted Smalley, McCone's office manager, sends her in a new direction, toward Herrera Terrace. Could that be the next spot the vandals have in mind? Why are they carrying out this campaign in the first place, and why are they tipping her off? McCone's questioning of Theresa Segretti, her coalition contact at Rowan Court, and Sam Sage, an internet influencer/meth cooker on Bancroft Lane, comes up empty-handed. Meanwhile the latest casualties of the war on the streets are Sam's meth lab and then Sam himself, whose flight to a cousin's distant home extends his life by only a few hours. The motive for all this misbehavior is likely to puzzle readers a lot less than McCone and Hy Ripinsky, her husband and partner, but the identity of the perps is more surprising. Although you can see why Ripinsky announces at the end, "Well, McCone, this sure has been one of our more stressful experiences," fans will probably nod in recognition rather than flinch under the stress. Once again, Muller combines a heartfelt but routine investigation with strong elements of a family reunion. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.