Book Synopsis: A new mystery in this unique series based on the 109 elements of the periodic table plunges plucky physicist Gloria Lamerino into an explosive mixture of hard science and sudden death. Synthesize Angela Lansbury's Jessica Fletcher with pure essence of Sue Grafton. Add a pinch of Patricia Cornwell as catalyst. Stir vigorously, then stand back -- because once this formula starts to fizz, it's definitely volatile. Someone could get killed.
In fact, someone does -- an elderly janitor at a government-funded lab in Revere, Massachusetts -- and when the homicide cops investigate, their first reaction is that they need the expert assistance of someone who knows her way around the table of elements. That would be Gloria Lamerino, retired-physicist-turned-scientific-consultant to Revere's police department, and the feisty, adventurous, intelligent heroine of Minichino's provocative and original series of mysteries.
It isn't long before Gloria develops a hypothesis: The lab's hush-hush lithium experiments aren't the only secrets she'll uncover before her research project is done, if she lives so long. After all, one man's dead already -- and lithium can be very deadly.
Featuring an engaging, not-so-young heroine with both brains and hips; her lovable boyfriend, Matt Gennaro; and a quirky, believable cast of Italian-American characters, this thouroughly gripping thriller is clever and precisely plotted enough to rival Agathia Christie... if she'd only had a Ph.D. in physics and a Yankee twang.
