Toronto is the setting for this crime story. To begin with we meet a frustrated cop, Paul Manziuk, who can make no more progress on the murder of a young woman. Unknown to him, a very different young woman has just been promoted to his department, Jacqueline Ryan, who is sure she only got the raise because she's female and black. But hey, she can prove herself.

SHADED LIGHT next introduces us to the guests and hosts of a weekend country house party - unexpected arrivals and all. Mainly they are two partners in a legal firm and their wives, with a few younger relatives. There's also a young man who's been offered a position, but would secretly rather continue with his downhill skiing; and embarrassingly the second wife of a man who's there with his fourth wife also arrives. After they have settled in and made friends and had disagreements, one young lady is killed while sitting in a garden area. Manziuk is called in, less than happy about having an untested second officer and sure that murder is no place for a female detective. The deceased was strangled with a cord, was not otherwise assaulted and is still wearing diamonds. Looks like a personal motive.

The author JA Menzies says her favourite books are by Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Georgette Heyer and Jane Austen, and in SHADED LIGHT she has recreated the world of English country house living with modern detection added. Latent fingerprints are discovered on a keyboard, credit card statements are requested. While this book is mostly about the characters in the house party and how the murder changes their lives, the dogged detective Manziuk and upcoming Ryan also change as they learn to respect each other and work together to good purpose.

The next in this series is called Glitter of Diamonds and puts the detective team to work once more.