Collins’s clever third mystery featuring Taylor Browning (after Looking Glass Editor) finds the New Mexico book editor investigating a pair of missing persons cases. Taylor, a member of the Santa Fe Wine and Crime book club, is disturbed when the group’s president, Anita Juárez, fails to make a scheduled appearance. When Anita proves unreachable, another member of the club alerts the police. Authorities discover Anita’s abandoned car, with her purse and phone inside, on a county route known as the Devil’s Road, which is notorious as the site of several other mysterious disappearances. While Taylor works with authorities to locate Anita, another local goes missing: restaurateur Gerald Barker, who is famous for his use of the rare and potent Mayan death pepper. Meanwhile, Taylor deals with a difficult author who insists an unprecedented kill fee clause be added to his contract, paying him handsomely if publication falls through. Collins gives herself a lot to juggle, but for the most part, she pulls it off, and she brings her subplots together with a satisfying finale. It’s ideal for poolside reading. (Self-published)