If Mark de Castrique’s first mystery featuring retired FBI agent Ethel Fiona Crestwater, Secret Lives, was a little too confusing with all the cryptocurrency, try the second book, Dangerous Women. It’s hard not to fall under the sway of the resourceful seventy-five-year-old who can still make the heads of the FBI and Secret Service cower.

Chief Justice Clarissa Baxter may hold the key to an important decision involving clean energy. On a Friday night, two of the Supreme Court’s law clerks plan to work on her notes about the case. When they’re assaulted, one is dead, and one is in critical condition at the hospital. She had a business card for Homicide Detective Frank Mancini. She also boarded at “Ethel’s Dormitory” where Crestwater rents out rooms to law enforcement. Now that Ethel is involved, someone is going to pay.

With Ethel’s connections, she knows about the murder of a homeless man before some in law enforcement know. She also takes one look at the victim’s photo, and recognizes that he wasn’t homeless. He’s part of a conspiracy. And, every clue and every player leads back to a connection to the Supreme Court’s upcoming decision. Who benefits if they know how Justice Baxter will vote?

While I understand that de Castrique is emphasizing clean energy and the forces at play for the future of the environment and the country, I always read for character. It’s definitely worth reading these mysteries just for the character of Ethel Fiona Crestwater. There are a couple fun scenes that just made me smile. The politics, the high stakes, and the important players only add to the drama.

Even if you couldn’t read the complex story that introduced Ethel, there’s no reason you can’t meet her in Dangerous Women. She’s worth the introduction.

An awesome entry into the elderly detective genre, this is really book # 2 (Book one is Secret Lives). Ethel Fiona Crestwater (legend) is a retired FBI running a rooming house in D.C. her assisted by her earnest double-first-cousin-twice-removed Jesse Cooper (sidekick). Ethel is still greatly connected in the spy world and sharp as a knife. This isn't your every day cozy as the duo take on the nasty side of politics and assist with protecting a. Supreme Court Justice and solving a murder. Highly Recommended!
#PoisonedPenPRess

I did not know that this book was the second on the series. I haven’t read the first book but I still did enjoy the series. There was a lot going on, lots of twist and turns. I really like when a book has a little bit of everything, it makes the story line very interesting! I couldn’t put the book down. I would definitely recommend this book!
Thank you NetGalley, Mark and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC.

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.

WOW! I was enthralled with the story from Chapter 1. Dangerous Women is the second book the in the Secret Lives (Book #1) Series. I didn’t know this at first, and it didn’t affect my understanding of the story. (I will absolutely be reading Secret Lives though!)

This story follows 75 year old retired FBI agent Ethel Fiona Crestwater, and her double first cousin twice removed, Jesse, as they try to untangle the events that led to the murder of Supreme Court Justice Clarissa Baxter’s clerk. Justice Baxter is set to be the deciding vote in a case that will have devastating effects no matter the decision.

If you loved the show Scandal, this novel is for you. I felt like it had the pacing and twisty turns of an episode of that show, and Ethel Crestwater is a badass version of Olivia Pope. She gets things HANDLED. I LOVE that a 75 year old woman is written as a hero.

Give this one a read for sure! While you’re waiting for it to be released, check out Secret Lives.

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

Dangerous Women by Mark de Castrique - this book was everything you want in a cozy mystery. It was funny, thrilling and unputdownable! I had to see how it ended. This book was such a fun and quick read. My only disappointment was I had no idea it was the second in a series. Totally my fault! Going to read the first book ASAP! Ethel and Jesse are the most hilarious team! Hoping for more in this series. Thanks NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC!

Good book! This book had a bit of everything! It had suspense, Action, intrigue, murder, mystery, a great who done it and some crazy twists and turns! The storyline was very interesting and kept me glued to my Kindle! I definitely recommend reading this book as it was well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

When I saw that Mark de Castrique had penned a sequel to Secret Lives, I was determined to beg, borrow or steal it to read it as soon as possible. Thank you, Poisoned Pen Press, for granting me an advanced review copy and saving me from a life of crime!

We see the return of 75-year-old Ethel Fiona Crestwater, a spy turned landlady, and her lodger and double-first-cousin-twice-removed Jesse Cooper. The two distant relatives teamed up to solve the assassination of a Secret Service agent in Secret Lives; this time they’re hoping to find out who hired an assassin of a different sort.

The blurb compares Dangerous Women to Thomas Perry’s The Old Man and Deanna Raybourn’s Killers of a Certain Age. Balderdash! This engrossing sequel needs no comparison, and, for those who weren’t lucky enough to read Secret Lives, this page-turner stands alone. Needless to say at this point, but here goes: highly, highly, highly recommended.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press in exchange for an honest review.

Having read and loved the first book in the series, Secret Lives, I was thrilled to get the opportunity to read an advance copy of the 2nd book, thanks to the publisher and Netgalley. I thought this one was great as well. It isn't necessary to read Secret Lives to enjoy Dangerous Women (although you'll want to). The heroine of the series, Ethel, is completely unlike the 75-year-olds one typically finds in cozy mysteries. As a former FBI agent, she's bright, insightful, clever and well-connected in Washington, D.C., and she hasn't lost her ability to defend herself and others. In this case, she becomes involved in unofficially investigating deaths and possible corruption related to the Supreme Court with the help of some of her "posse" from the previous book. I found the political and environmental issues raised very thought-provoking. The book is very exciting with lots of red herrings, and I enjoyed seeing how Ethel orchestrated solving the crimes. I think the books would be of equal appeal to both men and women, somewhat like the books of Daniel Silva. I highly recommend this book and its predecessor, and I look forward to the next case.

Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen for the opportunity to read Dangerous Women by Mark de Castrique. This is the second novel in a new series by this author. Protag Ethel is an interesting character, an older woman, smart, savy and not to be under estimated.