Review: Fever in the Dark (Jane Lawless #24) by Ellen Hart

• Format: Kindle Edition
• Print Length: 320 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books (Jan. 31 2017)
• Sold by: Macmillan CA
• Language: English
• ASIN: B01D8F64TO

Book Description

On their one year wedding anniversary, Fiona and Annie return home from a trip together to discover that their poignant proposal video has been posted on YouTube and has garnered hundreds of thousands of hits. The video is on the verge of going viral, and there’s enormous media interest in Fiona and Annie, as their fame comes just on the heels of the Supreme Court’s decision to legalize gay marriage across the country. As some of the attention starts to turn vicious, Fiona pulls in an old friend, private investigator Jane Lawless, to help separate the harmless threats from the potentially harmful.

As the media storm continues to grow, Fiona revels in the attention, but Annie is furious. Fiona has always known that Annie has secrets, but her newfound notoriety threatens to bring Annie's past straight to their door. And then, when a murder occurs and Annie and Fiona are both suspects, it’s up to Jane to prove their innocence…although the more she learns, the more she starts to wonder whether they actually are innocent.

Ellen Hart will once again captivate readers with her trademark smart, clever, mystery plotting and rich, human characters.

About the Author

Ellen Hart is the author of twenty-eight crime novels in two different series. She is a five-time winner of the Lambda Literary Award for Best Lesbian Mystery, a three-time winner of the Minnesota Book Award for Best Popular Fiction, a three-time winner of the Golden Crown Literary Award in several categories, a recipient of the Alice B Medal, and was made an official GLBT Literary Saint at the Saints & Sinners Literary Festival in New Orleans in 2005. In 2010, Ellen received the GCLS Trailblazer Award for lifetime achievement in the field of lesbian literature. For the past fourteen years, Ellen has taught "An Introduction to Writing the Modern Mystery" through the The Loft Literary Center, the largest independent writing community in the nation. Ellen's latest Sophie Greenway mystery is No Reservations Required (Ballantine). Rest for the Wicked, the twentieth Jane Lawless mystery, will be released by St. Martin's/Minotaur in October 2012. Bella Books has recently revived the out-of-print books by publishing them in both trade paperback and E-book. Ellen lives in the Minneapolis area with her partner of over 35 years.

My Review

Fever in the Dark is the twenty-fourth Jane Lawless mystery by author Ellen Hart. I read The Grave Soul by Ellen Hart last year and really enjoyed it so I have been looking forward to Fever in the Dark. I was not disappointed.

Fever in the Dark is character driven by a fascinating group of people. Jane's friend Cordelia runs a theater.  Fiona is her stage manager. Fiona has been married for one year to her wife Annie. Annie's past has always been a bit of a mystery but not once a video is uploaded of their engagement. The video goes viral and Annie's family discovers where she is. Annie's family was never accepting her life style choices but we soon discover that Annie's rift with her family is much more sinister.

Annie's family show up in Minnesota determined to reconcile. In the meantime, Annie and Fiona's home is bombarded with people, media and threats. Annie, Fiona and Annie's extended family move in with Cordelia. When Annie's brother-in-law is murdered there are is no shortage of suspects. Jane searches to find an answer to the killing while Fiona is worried that Annie is going to be driven away by all the fuss and attention.

I really enjoyed Fever in the Dark. Ellen Hart is a great writer and storyteller. I highly recommend Fever in the Dark.