One could say that Belle Dumont's family skeletons were buried so deep in the proverbial closet that one might see a bony hand slip underneath the door and drag Belle inside, lest any dark secrets concerning the Dumont's genealogical line and questionable acquisition of wealth be revealed. Unfortunately, on the day Belle called her three grown children to finally discuss the matter, that bony hand did appear in the form of a murderer who silenced Belle with a quick shove on a steep cliff, shocking an entire town who refused to believe that anyone would willfully kill a woman who appeared to have no enemies.As young children, Belle's offspring--Anne, Lyle, Melody--once relied on a concoction called "Robber's Wine" (in actuality, a mixture of various household cleansers poured into a wineglass) to keep them from harm. This talisman, they believed, could tempt any nocturnal burglar into taking a sip, thus causing immediate death and therefore saving the family. As adults, they now realize that no elixir could have saved their mother from the past that obviously returned to haunt, and murder, her. For the Dumont children, Belle's demise is the beginning of a painful journey that threatens to destroy the family.
For Anne's friends, Jane Lawless and Cordelia Thorn, Belle's death mean not only delaying a much desired vacation, but also the taking the opportunity to solve a prickling mystery.
Robber's Wine is the seventh installment of the award-winning Jane Lawless mystery series, and, thus far, the first book in the series I have been privileged to read. Often I am hesitant to start a series mystery novel without first reading those that precede it, but restraints on time would not allow me to research Jane Lawless's history of solving crimes. However, after finishing Robber's Wine I can say that it is not entirely necessary to go back to Hart's previous efforts--this novel reads as fresh as the first installment of any series, there is no baggage required on this trip.
All one needs to know is that Jane Lawless is Minneapolis restaurateur and a "widowed" lesbian, her companion having died of cancer some years before the current events in Robber's Wine. Her friend, Cordelia, is an eccentric theater director whose sexual preference is not blatantly explained in this book (it may have been, however, in earlier novels), though her penchant for wisecracking and dramatic overtures is. She is Maryann to Jane's Cybill, though not as conscious a dresser.
With Jane's careful assessments of Belle's murder and the events that result from or surround it and Cordelia's perfectly timed wit (a scene involving Cordelia, a toothless elderly woman, and a bowl of hard candy comes to mind), Hart has created an enthralling mystery. Tensions play high in this novel: the three Dumont children not only become suspicious of outsiders (Melody's psychotic estranged husband, a long-lost uncle demanding his share of Belle's estate) but also of each other, especially when Robber's Wine becomes a factor in a second murder. Add the immediate disdain of townsfolk upon learning that Belle's roommate, Helvi, was in actuality Belle's lover, and Robber's Wine is a drama laced with powerful emotions and enough twists to keep one stumped until the last chapter.
