A Killer Column is a follow-up to Casey Mayes’ (who also writes books under real name Tim Myers) first book, A Deadly Row. The Mystery by the Numbers series features Savannah Stone and her husband Zach. Savannah makes a living creating logic and number puzzles for newspapers around the country. Her husband Zach is a former a police chief, and is now a consultant for various police departments.

Savannah is summoned to a meeting by her obnoxious editor Derrick Duncan to a meeting clear across the state of North Carolina. After the making the long trip, she learns her column as been sold to a syndicate. Derrick delivers this news along with a slew of insults and Savannah reacts by slapping the bully. He fires her and Savannah storms out in anger. She later cools down and goes back to apologize, but finds someone has stabbed Derrick in the back --- literally. Now Savannah is a suspect, but lucky for her, she is staying with her best friend, Jenny Blake, who just happens to be an experienced attorney. Zach joins Jenny and Savannah and all three are determined to solve the puzzle of who really murdered Derrick.

Savannah and Zach make a great team, both in their marriage and in conducting the investigation into Derrick’s murder. It’s refreshing to see a series featuring a husband and wife totally devoted to each other and who are able to work well together without second-guessing or deceiving each other. When they both end up staying with Jenny, all three join forces to solve the murder and everyone continues to get along. Jenny is very likeable and proves herself to be a loyal friend to Savannah in her time of need. When Savannah learns Jenny has some problems of her own, she and Zach don’t hesitate to step in to help, even while Savannah is worrying about her job and her freedom.

The charming characters and the wonderful way in which they interact are the best part of this book. These are realistic, down-to-earth characters. They are interesting, but not quirky, and are likeable because of their loyalty and friendship with each other. They’re not perfect, which is shown when Savannah slaps Derrick, but we’ve all dealt with difficult people and can relate to what she did without agreeing with it.

While the book is interesting, I think many of the plot points are obvious. This is true of the main plot of Derrick’s murder and the subplot involving Jenny. Some of the events that were perplexing to Savannah and Jenny seemed very clear to me. However, the book still kept my interest through to the end, even though I would have welcomed a little more suspense.

Following along with the theme of Savannah’s job creating math puzzles, there are a few puzzles at the back of the book that were fun to solve. Fans of Carolyn Hart’s Annie and Max Darling will enjoy reading the adventures of husband and wife team, Savannah and Zach Stone. I recommend A Killer Column, and if the plots in future installments get a little more complex, along the lines of one of Savannah’s brain teasers, this series will definitely be one to follow.

~ Christine K.