Burn Out

18. Burn Out, by Marcia Muller

Private investigator Sharone McCone is burnt out. Just off an investigation involving her husband, Hy Ripinksy's, security firm, an investigation that nearly got them both killed, she's tired. Tired of investigating, tired of running her agency. So she heads off to their ranch for a little R&R, and some time away from it all to try to figure out what she wants to do.

This being a detective novel, she's not allowed to have that quiet time. Trying to help her ranch foreman deal with some family issues, she finds a young relative of his murdered, another disappears. And, despite her intentions, McCone finds herself in the middle of the investigation. In the process, she moves foreward in making reconnections with her recently found birth father, and her Shoshone heritage.

I must admit that I figured out who and what was behind the killings before McCone did. But then, I had the advantage of knowing the conventions required by this genre. The book's a good one, and I always appreciate the fact that Muller treats Sharon and Hy and their families (birth, adoptive and chosen) as people with lives, who grow and change.