Innuendo (Todd Mills Mysteries)

The fourth Todd Mills mystery offers the intriguing premise of dual investigations: one into the murder of a 17-year-old gay runaway, and the other into the sexual past and proclivities of Tim Chase, a movie star who has successfully sued a tabloid that claimed he was gay. Without pressuring his police officer boyfriend, Steve Rawlins, for more information than he can safely give, Minneapolis television reporter Todd Mills must try to uncover details about the boy's murder. At the same time, he is granted an exclusive interview with the glamorous Tim Chase, who immediately makes a pass at Todd in the guise of "research" for his next film. Is Todd's boyfriend hiding something important from him, something about Steve's own connection to the dead boy? And what about Tim Chase? Is he gay? And if so, how far would he go to protect his secret? Not especially fast-paced or complex, but absorbing and skillfully written, Innuendo will keep the reader guessing until its sexy, surprising final scenes. --Regina Marler