VIVIANA VALENTINE GOES UP RIVER by Emily J. Edwards will be published on May 2, 2023 by Crooked Lane Books.
Private detective Viviana Valentine and her partner, Tommy Fortuna, are hired by scientist Buster Beacon to investigate the strange noises that he keeps hearing around his mansion. Viviana and Tommy arrive at the mansion in time to join a house party that includes Buster's partners, investors, and friends. The mysterious noises take a back seat when an undercover FBI agent is murdered just in time for Viviana and Tommy to get trapped in the mansion with the killer. Buster is going secret scientific research for the government, and there is concern that at least one of the houseguests is committing espionage for a rival country.
VIVIANA VALENTINE GOES UP RIVER is an intriguing, closed-door mystery. There is a limited number of suspects, but they all seem to have varying motives and agendas for the murder and the espionage. The science was a bit over my head, and I found myself losing interest in those sections. Viviana Valentine is a smart and scrappy heroine. I just wish we knew more of her background before she started working for Tommy as his Girl Friday.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.