Dweena is being held by an ambassador from Gintoflakokia. Upon Dweena’s release, Ambassador P.G. Dover is arrested in connection with the disappearance and possible murder of Ria Kleep, a regular at the local hangout in the West Village. Dover turns out to be a private eye who had been hired by Ria to protect her from a stalker.

Dweena is Dover’s alibi, but lies about being with him and then hires a questionable lawyer to get her out of the unfortunate situation of having lied to the police. The lawyer decides it would be more lucrative to represent Dover, but enlists Brenda and Dweena to help him and his client. On a cab ride uptown, Brenda sports someone who looks suspiciously like the dead woman, and manages to get herself entangled in one of her strangest adventures yet as she tries to sort out who the real victim was and who the real murderer is.

Hatful of Homicide is a light, pleasant mystery with some clever twists and turns and a rather unexpected ending. Brenda has a sarcastic wit that adds a good deal of humor to the story. The ending of the book is a bit rushed as Brenda manages to concoct scenarios in which each of several of her acquaintances are the guilty party before finally settling on the right one. The final confrontation and revelation is also very tame, even by cozy standards.

The West Village and surrounding environs are wonderful places to set a mystery, full of character and small-town atmosphere in their own right, but save for some small glimpses, the flavor of these areas is not used to the fullest. Brenda and Dweena are likable characters, but the other characters are not explored in great detail, including Brenda’s on-again, off-again boyfriend, Johnny. Brenda’s dog Jackhammer does manage to steal the scene several times, however. A fun, quick mystery, but not one of Brenda’s best outings.

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry