Daheim's 23rd Emma Lord cozy (after 2011's The Alpine Vengeance) will gratify longtime fans emotionally invested in the characters, but isn't likely to attract new ones. As 2004 turns into 2005, Emma, the editor and publisher of the Alpine Advocate in Alpine, Wash., is gearing up for a visit from her brother, Ben, and her son, Adam, both priests. Meanwhile, the discovery of a human femur and two ankle bones by some kids renews speculation about the fate of Myrtle Everson, a grandmother who went out berry picking 16 years earlier and never returned. Complications arise after Troy Laskey, the son of one of Lord's reporters, breaks out of jail, where he's serving time for drug dealing, and a decomposing corpse turns up in a mountainside hole. As usual, the detecting tends to take a backseat to Lord's love life, in particular her uncertain relationship with local sheriff Milo Dodge. (Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Emma Lord, publisher of the small-town newspaper the Alpine Advocate in Washington State, has her hands full this holiday season. Her brother, Ben, and her son, Adam, both priests, are staying with her over Christmas. In addition, her relationship with Sheriff Milo Dodge is becoming public, and Ben disapproves. On the work front, her reporter, Mitch Laskey, dealing with his son's escape from prison and his wife's subsequent collapse, is unable to do his job. When bones are found in a cave in the woods, Emma helps to identify the victim, a woman who has been missing for 16 years. In doing so, Emma becomes a target. While the multitude of characters is sometimes difficult to keep straight, the novel boasts a strong and appealing protagonist in Emma, who is trying to reconcile her strong Catholic faith with her affair with the divorced sheriff. Small-town life and the daily tasks of running a newspaper are seamlessly woven into the fabric of the story.--O'Brien, Sue Copyright 2010 Booklist

Advocate, needs time off to hunt for his son, who's just escaped from prison for the second time. Emma thinks things couldn't get much worse, but of course they can. When hikers find a body moldering in a cave on Mount Sawyer, Roy Everson, the local postmaster, is convinced it's his mama, Myrtle, who disappeared 16 years ago. The body turns out to be male, but that doesn't stop Roy from carrying on and Emma from digging away at the only clue to its identity, a Saint Augustine medal. The more Emma digs, the more she gets in the way of the sheriff, who knows that kissing her won't stop her, but can't resist anyway. The town gossips go wild. The Lord priests take differing views on the romance. Someone is so upset by Emma's snooping that her carport is set on fire. Even worse, she's attacked and almost killed before the sheriff steps in and rescues her, the perp is identified and Roy learns what really became of Myrtle. Daheim (The Alpine Vengeance, 2011, etc.) keeps this long-running series lively with generous helpings of small-town chatter, charm and middle-age romance.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.