Bel and Vinny’s students, for the most apart, are non-traditional students: a single mother who occasionally brings her daughter to class, a born-again gangster who still bears his battle scars, a young Hispanic man doing an externship at the funeral home with Vinny and his brother, who may have a closer relationship with Vinny than most, and a young woman with a history of mental instability that is stalking Vinny. A counselor with a grudge against Vinny completes the list of the police’s suspects when Vinny’s body, head bashed in, is found floating in the Morris Canal.

Henry Granger, the reformed gang member who has done time for two homicides immediately jumps to the top of the suspect list. The pastor from his church approaches Bel on behalf of Henry’s grandmother Pearl Hoskins, to find the real killer. Bel doesn’t agree outright, but a certain amount of mother guilt kicks in and she begins asking questions.

As Bel begins asking questions, several things from her personal life add more stress: her lover is working on an extended project in Prague, her son is spending the summer on a kibbutz in Israel where there have been several recent bombings, and her daughter is across the country at the University of Washington when she is involved in a biking accident that sends Bel flying across the country to be with her. A call from the other coast while she is there sends her back East where her father has had a heart attack and died. Bel must bring her mother back to New Jersey to live with her, adding to the stress.

On top of all this, Bel’s hormones continue to play havoc with her emotions and memory. She is very lucky to have the support of two best friends, Betty and PI Illuminada.

Bel begins reaching out to various students and Eleanor turns her obsession from Vinny to Bel. She also learns that Vinny was for a new rail line that most of his neighborhood was against. Bel hopes she can find the murderer before he finds her and that she can wrap all of this up before Sol returns from Prague and her mother drives her crazy.

Death in a Hot Flash is a fast-paced mystery with an engaging heroine. Bel is a funny, witty character who is very compassionate and worries about those closest to her, even during her hot flashes. Her friends are surprisingly well-drawn for only the second book in a series. You feel as if you are the fourth friend in their close circle. Even the students are well done. You become sympathetic to their individual plights and hope for their innocence.

Jane Isenberg has created a character in Bel that many women can identify with. Death in a Hot Flash is the second entry in a delightful series that hopefully, will continue long past Bel’s need for estrogen patches.

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry