A Bed of Scorpions ~ Judith Flanders

Flanders, Judith. 2016. A Bed of Scorpions. New York: St. Martin's Press/Minotaur.
$24.99 USD.  ISBN 978-1-250-05646-7.

Judith Flanders’ follow-up to A Murder of Magpies takes the reader back into the British publishing world, this time focusing on intrigue in the art world, as well.  The main character, Samantha Claire, cautiously settled in with her detective boyfriend from the previous novel, finds herself in the middle of a suicide investigation that is more than it seems.  She is caught between an old friend who owns an art gallery and her boyfriend, Detective Inspector Jake Field, who is investigating the suspicious death.  The author provides amusing details of the publishing and art worlds as the plot meanders along like stroll through a museum.  The obscure Colophon, which was a new publishing concept to me, is a fascinating plot point, and the suspenseful denouement is satisfying.  The author is an assured writer, but this second entry into the series didn’t quite capture this reader’s attention as much as A Murder of Magpies did.  However, I enjoy the main characters and the setting quite a bit, so will look forward to the next title, if one comes.