A Door in the River

September 17, 2012
In the pseudonymous Wolfe’s lethargic third Hazel Micallef mystery (after 2010’s The Taken), Hazel, a police detective in Port Dundas, Ont., looks into the death of hardware store owner Henry Wiest, found in the parking lot of a smoke shop on the Queesik Bay reserve, home of the Five Nations. At first, it appears Henry died as the result of anaphylactic shock by a wasp sting, but Hazel wonders why Wiest, a nonsmoker, was parked in the smoke shop’s lot. The uncooperative Queesik Bay Police Service increases Hazel’s misgivings, especially after she learns that Henry’s death wasn’t so natural and her team notices strange comings and goings at the Five Nations Casino. A casino/bordello hidden deep in the Canadian woods and a teenage girl bent on revenge against those she believes forced her into prostitution provide a much needed boost, but can’t completely elevate the slow plot. Agent: Ellen Levine, Trident Literary.