"B" Book satisfying, easy read and intelligent

"Verdict in Blood" by Gail Bowen is the sixth in a popular series featuring Joanne Kilbourne along with assorted family members and friends. Kilbourne, a political science professor at a Canadian University, also dabbles successfully in crime solving. The setting near Saskatchewan is unusual in that the weather is blistering hot and humid. The victim has changed her way of life in the last year from hard nosed judge to making amends to some of those she tried. This change leads to questions of senility and of course, control of money. Aside from the usual mayhem and murder, issues such as treatment of the elderly people and indigenous peoples are addressed in a realistic fashion. Author Gail Bowen uses vocabulary very well to round out her characters, describe scenes and set up some interesting red herrings. I was able to read the book in less than 8 hours and enjoyed every minute. I plan to read more of these books to learn more about the people of Canada and Joanne's life. The characters were realistic and most were quite likable. I found this book along with many others in the series in the Thompson Library so they are available through bibliomation in Connecticut and they are also listed with CW Mars for Massachusetts readers.