Book Review: Death in Duplicate

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Death in Duplicate     Amazon US PB Amazon Canada PB
Valerie Wolzien
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Woman Main Character   Amateur Sleuth
Series: Susan Henshaw # 16
Fawcett, Mar 2005, $6.99, 272 pp.

Susan and Jeb Henshaw are thrilled that their twin grandchildren, their daughter and her spouse and their nurse are staying with them until they find an apartment in New York City. As they move in, Susan’s neighbor Nadine Barnes watches the free for all until she sees the nurse Shannon. She warns Susan that Shannon was a suspect in the deaths of three residents at the Perry Island Care Center and the case still remains open.

Uneasy with this news, but also observing how much Shannon seems to care for her daughter and grandchildren, Susan decides to investigate the care center homicides hoping to exonerate the nurse. Following a day of sleuthing, she comes home to learn someone murdered Nadine with Shannon having a motive to silence the woman. However, Susan learns that Nadine’s husband and his mother have plans for Perry Island development starting with destroying the nursing home. She sees a tentative link between the previous murders and that of Nadine besides the seemingly too convenient Shannon, but the unknown perpetrator is observing her too, waiting to kill her if she comes too close to guessing his identity.

One of the prime reasons Valerie Wolzien’s amateur sleuth mysteries are so good is because her characters are so realistic as they have problems, worries, and even fatigue dealing with twin infants and other real life situations. The baby scenes provide humor unless you happen to be up all night. Susan’s sleuthing is serious as she believes Shannon is innocent unless she is Academy Award caliber actress, but also wonders if her feelings want the nurse to not be the culprit as the evidence points that way. DEATH IN DUPLICATE is an intelligent down to earth mystery.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner

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