Hy's old partner, beleived dead, shows up. An abandoned house burns. Are cases connected to Hy's activities in SE Asia years earlier?

McCone and Rypinsky have settled into their new, rather upscale offices when an old nemesis returns. A former partner of Hy's, formerly thought dead, begins to stalk and harass Sharon while Hy is off on several hostage situations. Why he has returned requires her to delve into old SF history and families.
We review much of her history as an investigator as well as her family's history and current status. It is good to catch up with the larger outline of her life because it is an important ingredient in this long-standing and very good series. ( )

A disappointing addition to the series, it seemed disjointed, flippant , and lacking in emotional warmth and depth. Ms. Muller can write much better than this. ( )

Hy's former colleague Gage Renshaw, assumed dead, resurfaces bound on taking down McCone and Hy. Easy reading, a fair amount of convenient stool pigeons, and a setting I love. ( )

Gage Renshaw was supposed to be dead. At least that was what Sharon McCone and Hy Ripinsky had thought until his unwelcome appearance at the building in San Francisco. Why he is back now and what he wants isn’t clear, but the guy is certainly bad news and well known for his mind games and other tactics.

That problem though has to take a back seat to what they do on a daily basis for their clients. October grinds on with Hy out of town on FBI business and Sharon handling everything else. That includes a deal involving Chad Kenyon who has a situation that needs to be handled. One of the two Kenyon brothers, they have a reputation for buying things and selling them almost as quickly while making a very nice profit in the deal. They are a force, not just in San Francisco, but across most of the western states. The money is not what drives them as they are the type that love the acquisition chase and making the deal.

Their recent deal to buy an abandoned house on Webster Street has become a problem. They moved too fast to buy the derelict and were not aware that folks of all types are going in and out of the place at all hours of the day and night. Other issues have arisen making it quite the neighborhood nuisance. Kenyon wants McCone to get the place cleared out and secured and wants it done as cheap as possible.

McCone works out a deal with Kenyon and puts her people on it. As part of that work, those that go in to the place are investigated as well as the history of the house itself. That trail has many leads with one in particular taking her to Mexico and back. All the while, Renshaw is present in the shadows of their lives doing what he does to bedevil all involved.

Someone Always Knows: A Sharon McCone Mystery is the latest in the long running series penned by Marcia Muller. Old entanglement and memories play a major role in the read. Much like the flat cover art, the read itself is rather flat even at what are supposed to be suspenseful moments. It lacks that certain something that makes it stand out. That essential element that drives this series is not present at all resulting in an average book when the reader expects far more from this series and this author. Because so much of the past is heavily referenced in this book, those unfamiliar with the series will save lots of time in reading previous novels.

Someone Always Knows: A Sharon McCone Mystery
Marcia Muller
http://MarciaMuller.com
Grand Central Publishing (Hachette Book Group)
http://www.grandcentralpublishing.com
2016
ISBN# 978-1-4555-2795-3
Hardback (also available in eBook and audio formats)
304 Pages (actual text is 292 pages)
$26.00

Material supplied by the good people of the Plano Public Library System.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2016 ( )