The Stolen Ones
A man’s body is found in a public park in Philadelphia. The victim was pushing 60 years of age and had no family. Investigators Jessica Balzano and Kevin Byrne discover, in the dead man’s house, a large sum of money (with no explanation of its provenance) and some old, vaguely pornographic photographs (on which are found fingerprints leading to four men, criminals who died many years ago). The latest Balzano and Byrne mystery is full of surprises and dark shadows—literal dark shadows, as part of the story concerns a long-shuttered mental asylum and a former inmate who uses it to explore the catacombs beneath the city. Fans of this tightly written series will definitely enjoy this one, and the Balzano and Byrne books work pretty nicely as stand-alones, too, so familiarity with the earlier books is not necessary. --David Pitt