When one of the campaign workers, Charity Miller, is murdered, police look at Corey for the crime.  Another suspect is Charity’s former boyfriend, Gabriel, who was stalking her again.  Gabriel may have been the man who committed a hate crime against Christopher, a Methodist minister, who now that he has been outed may lose his church. 

Jane and her partner Kenzie are having commitment and long distance issues of their own and their relationship is complicated when Jane’s ex-lover Julia returns from Africa.  Jane felt that Julia was a liar and a bit of a psycho and was glad when the relationship was over.  Now that Julia is back in her life, Jane is still weary, but Julia proclaims she has changed, or has she? 

Jane is approached by Corey’s aunt Mary to help prove his innocence and is helped out by her theatrical friend Cordelia who is having growing pains of her own in her relationship with Melanie.  As complicated as this all sounds, Ellen Hart deftly juggles each plot line, carefully connecting each to another in a way that is by no means contrived.

Jane is devoted to Kenzie, but she is also very involved with her father’s campaign and her restaurants which she may be expanding.  Jane is very independent and while she enjoys the company of others, does not need someone to make herself whole, something Kenzie is grappling with.  When Julia comes back into Jane’s life, she doesn’t realize the havoc the woman will wreck and since Jane and Kenzie have agreed not to rehash former relationships, it doesn’t occur to her to warn Kenzie away from Julia. 

Cordelia adds a dash of high drama whenever she is present and is also wildly devoted to Jane.  Without very little warning, the plot takes some dark, unexpected twists as old grudges come to light and many people stand to get hurt. However, Jane’s kindness comes through as she asks for help for those who have already been hurt deeply.  A character driven mystery, Sweet Poison will appeal to readers who enjoy complicated plots with interesting characters.                                                              

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry