Deadly Does It
Mann & Mason #2
By Abbi Waxman
ISBN 9780593816691
Author’s website: abbiwaxman.com
Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Jeanie
Synopsis:
When Natasha Mason’s AA sponsor is in deadly danger, she turns to the cranky yet brilliant Julia Mann for help, in this exciting new mystery novel from the USA Today bestselling author of One Death at a Time.
Mason, a Gen Z adrenaline junkie, and Mann, an ex-con, ex-actress, and lawyer turned sleuth, have already solved one murder together. United by their commitment to sarcasm and general disappointment with the human race, they now face a second crime that’s way too close to home. Alexa Rousso keeps having accidents, and no one but her thinks it’s a coincidence. Could her checkered past be coming back to get her? Mason and Mann’s investigation takes them to the Bay Area, to the Central Coast, and – of course – to the hippest spots in Los Angeles. Will the Berkeley boho vibe convert Mann from vintage couture? Will the wine snobs of Ojai drive Mason to drink (or to vinicide, which isn’t even a thing)? More importantly, will they solve the mystery before the murderer’s sights settle on the detectives themselves, or will this new challenge also be their last? (from Goodreads)
Review:
Five years sober and in her twenties, Mason met former actress Julia Mann at an AA meeting. The former actress was in prison for a murder she didn’t commit when she earned her degree and became an attorney. She got sober there, had a couple slips over the years, and immediately returned to meetings. Julia asked Mason to be her temporary sponsor.
Even with the substantial gap between their ages and their polar opposite lifestyles, they got along quite well. Neither are delicate little flowers. Julia has many skills, from being professionally adept to acting to understated elegance. Mason became her sidekick after helping Julia solve a major case, and lives in one of Julia’s guest houses.
Julia met her housekeeper and excellent chef, Claudia, when they became close friends in prison. Claudia’s boyfriend, Teddy, is a former con and a private investigator. Mason is deciding on a career and whether to return to college, and went on stakeouts with Teddy for on-the-job training to be a PI.
Mason’s mother called her from Berkeley; her father had a mild heart attack. He should recover quickly with some lifestyle changes. If Mason went to visit, it would only be for her father. Her mother and sister never understood her, and have always, only, questioned and critiqued her.
Mason’s sponsor, Alexa, had been sober for over twenty-five years and sponsored two other women. Alexa is an event planner with a huge fashion show scheduled. Mason attended to support Alexa. Several attendees were injured as a result of a mechanical “attack”, and some of her clients cancelled their events.
Jennifer is another of Alexa’s sponsees. Mason attended the grand opening of Jennifer’s third restaurant, made memorable for several people going to the hospital with food poisoning. The police could only ascertain that each person who got sick had wine from Jennifer’s new wine vendor, but none of the bottles tested positive.
Alexa and her husband Scott went to see Julia with a troubling situation. She received threatening letters with unique similarities but refused to tell the police. The threats implied that “I know what you did; you know what I did” and “I’ll keep your secret if you keep mine”. Alexa said she had no idea what she did, but she had survived a fire in a rundown warehouse, lived in and used by artists who drank, used, and/or sold drugs. Many people died that night, and it was still discussed almost thirty years later.
Mason planned a brief visit to visit her father and family. Julia joined her so they could interview people Alexa knew from the time of the fire. Julia saw how her family interacted with Mason, and Mason’s parents were thrilled to meet the star that her father once had a crush on! Mason learned what was stressing her father’s working life and discussed ways to resolve the situation. Julia and Mason tracked down and questioned Alexa’s ex-husbands, friends, a policeman, and a fire inspector before returning to LA.
A loyal friend, Mason believed what Alexa told them. Alexa sent Mason to check on her third sponsee, Iris, and found her dead of an overdose. Detectives saw an inconsistency with the needle, still in her arm, and declared it a homicide.
Alexa received another letter, “one down, two to go, then it’s your turn”. They believed “one” was Iris, and “two to go” were Alexa’s other sponsees, then Alexa herself. Julia convinced her to tell the police. They would continue to investigate for her, but the detectives needed to consider the letters when investigating Iris’s death. Then, someone attempted to kill Mason.
The characters are three-dimensional in their actions and conversations. Most are engaging and transparent, but at least one is keeping a secret or two. I genuinely like Mason and Julia. They help others, and are a “family” that includes staff and friends. Some of Mason’s family have not gotten past her troubled teen years or addictions, but people can surprise us!
I appreciate that Abbi Waxman’s protagonists are people in recovery and fell in love with the series when reading the first in the series. For readers unfamiliar with the groups, the author explains certain aspects of twelve-step programs. She presents each person with value and dignity.
There are several twists and hair-raising U-turns, even changing the course of their investigation. It will take everything this crew has to solve the crimes before another person is murdered. I love the ending! I highly recommend this challenging mystery and the first in series!
