I usually don't pick up these kinds of very procedural books. I struggled with getting through and engaged with the characters. I also found the main characters difficult to relate to enough to want to keep going.

Another terrific entry to the “Elderly Detective fiction” genre (think Richard Osman’s “Thursday Murder Club” series, Deanna Raybourn’s “Killers of a Certain Age,” Steve Martin/Martin Short’s “Only Murders in the Building”). Go septuagenarians!

This is a sequel to “Secret Lives” and again 75 year old Ethel Crestwater uses her age as a cloak of invisibility. Returning is her young sidekick, her double-first-cousin-twice-removed, Jesse, a university student, who is taking lock-picking lessons from Ethel. She’s a retired FBI agent turned boardinghouse landlady — and her tenants (mostly young people in law enforcement) are her family. One of them, Brooke, a law clerk for the first female Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (a relative youngster at 48), was mugged while her companion, another law clerk, died. The backpacks containing court papers of Robert (the victim) and Brooke disappeared. Ethel has a LOT of connections (Brooke’s uncle is a DC homicide detective and former boarder) and after surveying the circumstances, she decides to, well, meddle.

It’s eventually apparent the attack does involve a current case before the Supreme Court, where the Chief Justice will most likely be the tie-breaker. Ethel is a delightful sleuth — she has the wits and guile of people half her age (or a third of her age) and the story is better when Ethel is in that part of the story. We do get asides for the various nefarious characters who are working to conceal their crimes, but Ethel is the bright spot in each chapter. The legal case is a bit complicated (with lots of interested parties) and those parts can so slow as they get explained.

Audiobooks work best with fewer characters and “Dangerous Women” might just have a tad too many to keep track of. However, the narration was bright and discerning — this is still mostly like a police procedural and as long as you don’t take frequent breaks, the story flowed.

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): NO Brooke has blue eyes and the Chief Justice has brown, but that’s it.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO There’s talk of environmental concerns on a large scale, but nothing seems out of place or season.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media (audiobook), Poisoned Pen Press (book) and NetGalley for a free advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

Ethel Fiona Crestwater is a terrific character. She is a retired FBI legend who is very sharp. She runs a boarding house in Washington D.C. for agents who are on temporary assignment. Jesse her double first cousin twice removed is her sidekick. Two Supreme Court clerks are attacked in the doorway of her house. She is helping to solve the case and is not afraid to color outside the lines.

This book, which is the second in a series, is a great fast read. Once you start you will not want to put the book down. It is that good. If you are a woman of a certain age you will love Ethel. She is underestimated and ignored as not important but she proves everyone wrong. I highly recommend reading this book.

Thank you to #NetGalley, #MarkdeCastrique, and #PoisonedPenPress for a copy of this book.
#DangerousWomen

This #2 in a new series was even more fun than the first book. Ethel Fiona Crestwater is a terrific main character. She is a legendary former second generation FBI agent with madly honed skills whether it be surveillance, self-defense, lock-picking, strategy or general mayhem. She is widely admired and generally feared and well-respected enough that the head of the FBI or the director of the CIA take her phone calls.

And Ethel is a 75 year old woman and capitalizes on the fact that her demographic is generally ignored or underestimated. Her relative Jesse lives with her and he is particularly useful in investigations and interpreting techie and crypto currency issues. She runs a boarding house in the D.C. area for law reinforcement types and she is loyal to them and certainly polishes their job skills.

This case involves the Supreme Court and is a page turner. There's lots of action and Ethel with her wealth of experience has a way of figuring out what's happening and then coming up with a plan. Exciting and fun. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is my first Mark De Castrique book and I am hooked! I finished this one quickly and quickly got my hands on the prequel (Secret Lives) and read that one too. There are a few references to things that happened in the first book but it is not necessary to read it before this one.

Ethel is a rock star - I love stories with elderly, strong female characters and this did not disappoint. Some of her physical feats are a little far fetched but this is fiction and I can suspend belief and just go with it. The storyline was believable and timely. This would make an excellent series or movie.

I would call this a "light" murder mystery. It reminded me of Louise Penny's books and perhaps that is why I enjoyed this so much.

I will be recommending it to all my friends who love Armand Gamache as I am sure they will enjoy Ethel as well (if not more).

Don’t underestimate Ethel Crestwater. She may look like a helpless retiree but looks can be
deceiving. De Castrique’s 75-year-old former FBI agent is back to solve another case in the
follow up to 2022’s, Secret Lives. This time, Ethel, and her double-first-cousin-twice-removed
Jesse find themselves swept up in a case involving the Chief Justice of the United States and
D.C. power players, all of whom are anxiously awaiting the ruling of a divisive court case. When
two Supreme Court law clerks are attacked, leaving one dead and the other in a coma, Ethel
joins the case. Was this a random attack or were the clerks targeted? When another dead body
is found, the case really ramps up. While the mystery won’t fool anyone, the story is entertaining
and timely, and the characters are well-developed. There is nothing graphic in this book, even
as the body count keeps rising and you don’t need to read the first in the series to enjoy this
one. Fans of Richard Osman and Barbara Ross will want to pick this one up.

What a lovely read! Felt like a cross between a Louise Penny (who I adore) and the Agatha Christie's I gobbled up in my youth. The pace was quick, the characters engaging. Loved the positive aging nod to the main character Ethel - 75 and a force to be reckoned with. Will definitely read more by Mark de Castrique soon - including the first in this series that I was unaware of. Excited to have another series to enjoy!

If The Thursday Murder Club and The Pelican Brief had a baby book it would be Dangerous Women. A political thriller with an exceedingly smart septuagenarian main character, Ethel Crestwater is the real deal.

A retired FBI standout, Ethel uses her wits and connections to ride roughshod over the bad guys. Was heaps of fun to read.

Dangerous Women is the second book in the series featuring septuagenarian and former FBI agent Ethel Fiona Crestwater and her double-first-cousin-twice-removed, Jesse, who lives with her while attending graduate school. Over the years Ethel has rented rooms in her Washington DC home to various federal agents. Once an agent always an agent. Ethel just can’t resist an interesting investigation. This time it involves lithium mining, a timely topic that has been used to create a compelling story and mystery.

I really like spending time with Ethel and Jesse. Their dialogue is always crisp, the investigations interesting, and the various characters they become involved with (both friend and foe) are always great additions to the plot. Honestly, Ethel is someone I’d like to hang out with. I love how her mind works, her sense of justice and, simply put, her determination. All these characteristics add up to one great book.

This book is 3.5 stars but I’ve rounded it up to 4. NetGalley provided an advance copy.

The seamless fusion of spy tactics, intricate politics, and a vibrant narrative captured my attention as the story unfolded against the backdrop of a consequential clean energy debate. The central role of Chief Justice Clarissa Baxter and the dynamic partnership between the unconventional protagonists, Ethel and Jesse, added depth and authenticity. Ethel's defiance of age norms and her alliance with tech-savvy Jesse breathed life into the narrative.

Departing from clichés and resonating with contemporary issues, the book not only provided an exhilarating experience but also prompted thought. The relentless pace, unexpected twists, and thematic parallels evoked a resonance reminiscent of Daniel Silva's style. Nonetheless, while applauding the portrayal of an older lead, the feasibility of Ethel's physical prowess remained a query. In essence, Dangerous Women offers an enthralling escapade, weaving risk, suspense, and resilience into a sophisticated narrative that is both captivating and pertinent.

If you fell in love with the recent murder mystery trends in novel the past few years you will definitely want to add this to your list. Take the Thursday Murder Club but add a few jolts of intensity and a dash of feminine power. I could not get enough!

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.

Dangerous Women, the second in an enthralling series, is a worthy follow-up to author Mark de Castrique's Secret Lives. The main focus is again on the legendary Ethel Crestwater, a retired FBI agent who owns an Arlington, VA boarding house where a number of law enforcement employees are housed. She has maintained many of her government contacts, including some in very high offices, and at age 75, she is still a force to be reckoned with. Underestimate the investigative skills and experience of this highly-skilled "little old lady" at your peril!

When one of her boarders is gravely injured when she and a fellow US Supreme Court law clerk are brutally attacked, Ethel enlists the help of another boarder, her college-age cousin Jesse, and lends her expertise to the local police and the current FBI director to get to the bottom of why the attacks occurred, by whom, and what this means for the new (female) Chief Justice,

The fate of a controversial ruling that will be made by the country's highest court hangs in the balance. It's a case related to climate change and clean energy, and the decision could have disastrous effects on some Native American tribes, as well as ranchers and farmers.

The author expertly weaves an intricate plot of political intrigue peopled by lobbyists, security companies, US Senators, the Secret Service, FBI agents, Supreme Court police, a mining coalition, and intelligence agencies. As the clock ticks, de Castrique masterfully ramps up the suspense, leaving the reader breathless and ultimately satisfied. I hope there are more in this excellent series.

My thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

3.5 stars

After receiving a digital ARC of Dangerous Women, I realized that this is the second book in a series. So I went back and read the first. Now having read both - you could read the second without having read the first if you wanted.

Note: in exchange for an honest review I received an advance reader copy from NetGalley. All thoughts are my own.

This novel is wrapped around a Supreme Court case currently being decided set in the present day. Due to the court case and references to recent historical events this definitely felt relevant. Because of the crimes committed - DC police, FBI, and the court Marshall are all wrapped up in it. It was an interesting read and I enjoyed the take of a female lead in this crime action mystery genre. I appreciate the representation of an older main POV and especially showing her as intelligent and respect worthy. That being said, Ethel being 75 with a pace maker and still physically taking on an armed opponent without even a minor injury to herself is not believable. If you want to enjoy a light crime novel adventure from a different POV for a change give this a read.

Note to the editing team. This might just be the digital copy format - but there were not many space breaks when we switched POV in the middle of the chapter. They just ran together and it would take me a second to figure out the switch by re-reading the last sentence. It was a bit annoying since the POV switches in the middle of chapters happened a lot.

Two law clerks for the Supreme Court are attacked, leaving one dead and the other in a coma. The ensuing cover-up leaves police with a puzzle to solve, and Chief Justice Clarissa Baxter with a target on her back. It will take a group effort from off the grid heroes with friends in high places to solve the case: retired FBI agent turned boardinghouse landlady Ethel Crestwater, and her tech savvy double-first-cousin-twice-removed Jessie Cooper. Ethel and Jesse uncover a political scandal and scramble to find the killer before they become the next targets.

Thank you so much to @netgalley, @poisonedpenpress, and @mdecastrique for the ARC! This book gripped me from the beginning as I love a good mystery. Add in the Supreme Court and I’m hooked! I really loved the plot; it was fast-paced and exciting. And Ethel is such a badass! Apparently this is the second book in a series following Ethel and Jesse. I didn’t find any information lacking so the books could definitely be read as stand alones, but now I want to read the other book! I also really loved the author’s note at the end and learned quite a bit from it. Dangerous Women comes out October 24!

Thank you for the opportunity to read the advanced copy of this book, overall I definitely enjoyed it! I love that the main character is a 75 year old woman/retired FBI agent and she is the hero of the story! You definitely don't see that often. She takes no BS and gets things done for sure!! I enjoyed the twists and turns this book threw at me as well and I would recommend to others.

Thanks so much to Poisoned Pen and Netgalley for sharing the ARC of the second book in Mark de Castrique’s Secret Lives series. This was a great follow up to the first novel, with our heroine Ethel mixing it up with assorted political bad guys. This series is comparable to the Richard Ossian’s Thursday Murder Club series but with a darker and less comedic slant. Highly recommended if you like that series, or appreciate an unconventional heroine.

Dangerous Women by Mark De Castrique is the second book featuring Ethel Crestwater and her double first cousin twice removed, Jesse Cooper. I have read the first one Secret Lives.
Everything hinges on the Supreme Court’s decision on a clean energy case. Justice Baxter is the deciding vote and is keeping her decision secret.
One of Ethel’s boarders is a clerk at the Supreme Court. She is injured when walking home with a fellow clerk who is murdered.
This gets Ethel right in the middle of the action. With her ties to the FBI and others in high places, she gets in the crosshairs of those who are responsible. She and her cousin go after the bad guys.
I really enjoy Mark De Castrique’s writing. I have read all his Sam Blackburn

Thank you NetGalley and Mark de Castrique for this ARC!

I did not know that this book was the second in a series. I haven’t read the first book but I still did enjoy the book. There was a lot going on, lots of twist and turns, I couldn’t put the book down. I would definitely recommend this book!

Full of suspense and twists, this was a great ride. I want to be as cunning, fierce, and protective as Ethel when I grow up.