Harry & Emma #2
It’s always tricky when a second book in a new series is released the same year as the first one, for a couple reasons, but a big reason is that the first one is still fresh in your mind, so you won’t be able to help comparing the two. Cullen’s first book, A Field Guide to Murder, was released last January. It’s one of my favorite debuts of this year. I’m happy to report that book two might be even stronger than book one. (Where this lands Cullen during award season is another story). This nascent series has a great set up: retired anthropologist Harry meets young caregiver Emma in book one. He’s grieving his wife, but as he and Emma investigate a murder in the neighborhood together, they both find friendship and a new purpose.
Emma, a trained nurse, is now accompanying Harry on his field trips, and they have just returned from one abroad as this book opens. They are both struggling with jet lag when Harry gets a call from a woman he parted ways with 50 years ago (he went on to have a happy marriage with his wife, Mags, after their breakup). As book one was the set up, there’s no need for that in book two, and Cullen gets right to her delicious plot.
While the book opens with a death, this is mostly a scammer story. Harry’s former girlfriend, Willow, has been taken in by a slick operator who promised they could flip a property for a huge profit and invest the proceeds in an enterprise Willow wants to set up. Unfortunately, it appears she’s lost all her money, and what’s worse, Harry and Emma have discovered a body on the premises of the Ohio farm she was planning to buy.
As the deal unravels, the level and sophistication of the scam that snared Willow becomes apparent, so Harry and Emma go into sleuthing mode – to help an old friend, naturally. Harry and Emma proceed despite being warned off by the police and being somewhat under suspicion themselves, as they discovered the body. Enter Harry’s brother, Edgar, who is stepping in at a curiously opportune moment and who turns out to have an unexpected backstory, one even unknown to his brother.
The charm of these characters cannot be overstated. Harry is a retired widower but he is still doing some work, and he’s become fond of Emma, to the point of almost thinking of her as a second daughter. Their relationship is sweet. As Harry’s is a late in life story, Emma’s is a start of life one where she’s still discovering exactly who she wants to be. It’s a lovely and dynamic combination, powering the books forward.
The details and unravelling of the scam plot are really clever and well done, and I’m sure there is some awful real estate scam out there exactly like the one Cullen describes. There’s a little heartbreak, a little redemption, and a nice story line about two adult brothers getting to know each other better in later life. I’m hoping Edgar becomes a recurring character in this series, which I hope is a very long lived one. It’s such a great sign when book two surpasses book one. Can’t wait for book three! — Robin Agnew