Lillian is afraid her surgeon son, Brian, may be the Blonde Bomber, a serial killer who has been killing blonde, well-endowed women of Southern California. She thinks this because of an online correspondence she started with Brian (not knowing at first that it was Brian) posing as a younger woman, just looking for a little validation that she was not yet over the hill. 

Lillian suspects that Brian has had many affairs recently; she knows his marriage to antiques dealer Jane Sharp hasn’t been good lately, and both Jane and Brian have connections to all the dead women.  Odelia agrees to try and prove that Brian isn’t the serial killer and starts with the latest victim’s sister and the ex-husband of the first victim.  All fingers continue to point toward Jane and/or Brian, and Odelia is afraid she may have some bad news to report back to her friend.   

Fans of Odelia Grey may be a little disappointed this time out as Odelia seems more subdued than usual.  Many readers will pick out the Blonde Bomber the first time the character appears in the book.  What does save the book, however, is that abruptly the plot gets very complicated and begins to involve many more characters and a second crime slowly emerges adding much more interest to the plot, and casting doubt on the connection of all four murdered women to the Blonde Bomber. 

Greg’s dog even gets in the act and both Greg and Odelia are surprised with an addition to their family, even as they are just getting off the ground.  Some quick thinking from a neighborhood boy helps save Odelia and puts an end to two longtime crime sprees.  A fun, quick read with a usually sassy detective, Booby Trap will keep readers of the series happy until the next installment.                                    

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry