After That, the Dark

In Klavan’s brilliant fifth mystery featuring Cameron Winter (after A Woman Underground), the Illinois hit man–turned–English professor investigates a baffling cold case. After spending months unpacking his emotional baggage in therapy, Winter is emboldened to ask his acquaintance, Gwendolyn Lord, on a date. When he divulges his violent past over dinner, Gwendolyn responds by recounting the story of a bizarre real-life mystery she learned about from a grad school friend. About five months before, beloved Tulsa community figure Owen McKay was arrested for murdering his wife and their toddler, and placed in a padded, unfurnished cell. Somehow, despite receiving no visitors, he wound up dead from a wound to his heart. Official reports concluded that McKay died by suicide, using a nail gun he’d managed to sneak into his cell, but Winter is unconvinced, and he starts to investigate. Then another murder case with eerie echoes of McKay’s alleged suicide crops up in Connecticut, raising the stakes. The solution, when it arrives, hits the sweet spot between logical and surprising, and Winter’s romantic entanglement adds depth to his characterization. The author’s prose, meanwhile, remains as darkly hypnotic as ever. This series continues to impress. Agent: Mark Gottlieb, Trident Media Group. (Oct.)