The Money Kill, by Tatia Lief

Tatia Lief. The Money Kill. New York: Harper, 2013. 338 pages. ISBN 9780062096975.

When I have a lot on my plate I like to read fast-paced suspense or mystery novels to distract myself from whatever else is going on. As I headed off to Las Vegas last Thursday to attend the ALA Annual conference, I looked around my house to find one or more paperback mysteries for the plane ride. I finally settled on Katia Lief's The Money Kill to start with.

Author of more than a dozen suspense novels, Ms. Lief's latest is number four in the Karin Schaeffer and Mac MacLeary series. Schaeffer and MacLeary are former police officers who have turned to the "safer" profession of private investigation. Mac has been hired by Cathy Millerhausen to investigate her husband's infidelity, and finding nothing, he's tempted by another job to end the investigation early and take up the new one. This job entails a short trip to London, and comes with a bonus trip to Italy for the entire family. However, it quickly becomes clear, at least to the reader, that the two cases are connected and the whole family is threatened.

The plot of The Money Kill is intricate and fast-paced. Viewpoints shift from Mac to Karin to their employee Mary, and also to their respective children, Dathi and Fremont. Most of the action takes place in Italy, and the book illustrates the challenges of vacationing in a country when one doesn't know the language or geography very well. I enjoyed The Money Kill and it did its job of keeping me distracted from more serious business.

I intended to give this book away or leave it in my hotel room for someone else to read, but I realized that I had gotten it signed for my sister! I'll have to send it off in the next box...