Claire had expected her life to be rather tame compared to the crime in Minneapolis. A few traffic violations or drunk and disorderlies on a Saturday night would keep her involved in her profession, but not put her life in jeopardy, an important consideration now that she was a single parent. Time passes and things change. She now relies on Rich for help in parenting her daughter, and life is not as tranquil as she had imagined it would be.

Claire receives a call from Margaret Underwood who is concerned about her father, Walter Tilde, who has recently had a stroke. Walter has recently remarried after the death of Margaret’s mother, and Margaret fears that her stepmother, Patty Jo, is trying to cheat Margaret out of her inheritance. Walter is now so disabled that he can barely speak, but Margaret is certain that her dad wants her to have his farm. Patty Jo claims otherwise, and when Walter abruptly dies, Patty Jo produces a will, signed by Walter before his stroke, leaving all his assets including the farm to Patty Jo.

From her first meeting with Patty Jo, Claire senses that the woman is “up to no good,” but feelings and proof are two entirely different things. The barn on Walter’s property burns. The fire inspector, without much investigation attributes it to faulty wiring. Margaret and Claire think Patty Jo set the fire deliberately, but they can’t prove it. Other fires occur, but there is no evidence to link them to Patty Jo. Most of the townspeople believe Patty Jo is an arsonist, but they cannot find any proof. She is both clever and lucky, but Clair is single minded in her determination to bring the clever crook to justice.

Poison Heart is a cozy, yet suspenseful read. Unlike many mystery stories, we know who the perpetrator is early on in the book. Yet Ms. Logue succeeds in maintaining the reader’s attention by focusing on the cleverness of Patty Jo. Each time Claire seems to have outfoxed her fox, the fox eludes her again. There are also several subplots related to, but not totally dependent on, the main one. The various activities and camaraderie of the townspeople, Claire’s daughter’s first attempts in trying to attract a boyfriend, and Claire’s sister Bridget’s troubles with her husband enrich the tale.

In addition, the worldly wise entrepreneur from the city threatens to disrupt the peace and quiet of the small community by building a subdivision to attract folks from Minneapolis.

Ms. Logue has succeeded in developing a cast of characters of all types. There are shy retiring people such as Margaret and bold as brass types like Patty Jo. As Patty Jo’s stepsister Debby says of her, “Not everyone sees who she really is. She can be charming when she wants.” The ongoing characters in the series, Claire, Rich, Meg, Bridget, and some of the townsfolk are dynamic. As Meg gets older she is developing into a thoughtful, caring individual. Yet she is still an emerging teenager with many of the problems of that age.

Beyond the story line and the characters there are tidbits of information which the author carefully inserts for the reader’s entertainment and enlightenment. For instance, the origin of the name warfarin, which is both a drug and a rat poison, comes from the agency that sponsored the research on the drug, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation. Thus the first four letters of the drug are its acronym.

Poison Heart is a welcome addition to Mary Logue’s popular series featuring deputy sheriff, Claire Watkins. Those who are looking for an engaging novel free of graphic violence or gratuitous sex will be pleased by this latest entry in this popular series.

--Andy Plonkaa