Book: 4.5⭐
Audio Narration: 3.5⭐

A botched mugging leaves one Supreme Court law clerk dead and another seriously injured. The murdered law clerk Robert Finley had been working for Supreme Court Chief Justice Clarissa Baxter who is scheduled to cast the deciding vote for the verdict in a controversial lithium mining case that has several influential people desperate to protect their own interests. Missing from the scene of the crime was Robert’s backpack with important notes on the case. The injured law clerk Brooke Chaplin is the niece of Detective Frank Mancini of the Arlington Police Department and a tenant at the boardinghouse for government employees run by Former FBI Agent Ethel Fiona Crestwater in Arlington, Virginia. Frank is a former boarder and friend of Ethel’s which prompts her to offer to help in the investigation. Joining Ethel in her efforts is her double-first-cousin-twice-removed, Jesse, who also resides in the same boarding house and is a university student.

Though retired, seventy-five-year-old Ethel is sharp and maintains a strong network of past and present highly ranked officers from different branches of law enforcement ( “Ethel’s Army” ). As the bodies continue to pile up, Ethel suspects that not only are people within the system involved, but also the Chief Justice just might be the next target. What follows is a complex web of murder, corruption and conspiracy and Ethel will leave no stone unturned to help unravel the mystery behind the attack and murder and identify the person/people who are targeting the Chief Justice.

With its interesting cast of characters, well-structured plot and plenty of humor, Dangerous Women by Mark de Castrique is an intriguing and entertaining read. I loved Ethel and her resourcefulness. Though there are several characters in the story, the plot is not difficult to follow and at no point did I lose interest. The author incorporates several relevant themes such as political corruption, climate change, clean energy, environmental protection and preservation of land into a tightly woven plot. The pacing does falter in parts but not so much that detracts from the overall reading experience. If you don’t mind a little suspension of disbelief, this is a thoroughly enjoyable read.

Overall, I thought this was a worthy addition to the Secret Lives Mysteries series. I can’t wait for the next in the series!

I combined my reading with the audiobook narrated by Patrick Lawlor, which made for a decent immersion reading experience. Given the large cast of characters, I did feel that the audio experience could have been enhanced had there been more than one narrator.

Please note that though this book is the second in a series, it can be read and enjoyed as a standalone.

Many thanks to Poisoned Pen Press, Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the digital copy and ALC of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. ( )

Ethel, a retired FBI agent, and her relative, Jesse, are called to assist on a case where 2 Supreme Court Justice's clerk are hurt one night - one fatally. The other is in the hospital in a medically induced coma, and her uncle and Ethel confer about what happened. The Supreme Court Chief Justice is whisked away to safety after an attempt on her life. Ethel knows that something sinister must be going on, perhaps based on a pending ruling by the court. Ethel and her team need to track down those who want to harm the court, and they are dealing with some high profile politicians and CEOs, in the hunt for justice.
Ethel is a fun heroine! ( )

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

This is the second in a series starring easily underestimated 75 year-old ex-FBI agent Ethel, who has friends in high places everywhere in Washington willing to do whatever she tells them to. Here she investigates an attack on one of her lodgers who clerks for the one of the supreme court justices. I found this rather slow to get going - initially it felt quite dry and complicated - but then things picked up. I think I may have said this about the first book, but this was a real romp and would make an excellent movie. ( )

She may be retired, but Ethel Fiona Crestwater is still a force to be reckoned with! Though she seems to be a mild-mannered landlady, she's actually a wickedly smart operative who's not afraid to use her extensive Washington connections to take care of business. Picking up from Secret Lives, Ethel continues her training of her double first cousin twice removed as she investigates an attack on one of her boarders, a Supreme Court law clerk. This book has great characters and a relevant storyline about electric vehicles, and is worth a spot on your TBR!

Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for access to a digital ARC via NetGalley. ( )