Double Progression: A Kelsey James Fitness Mystery: Book Two

Kelsey James isn’t just a great personal trainer. She’s as skilled as they come. Sure, she’ll demand those burpees, push you to finish out that set of hammer curls, spot you for those bench presses. You’ll leave encouraged and thoroughly butt-kicked after every session. But if you’ve got issues at home or elsewhere, there’s also a good chance she’ll take a crack at being your personal investigator, too.

Kristina Fox’s Double Progression, her second Kelsey James Fitness Mystery, begins with our main character still savoring the satisfaction of her first case, in which she helped a client solve a grisly murder. Ready to lunge into another mystery, we meet Jennifer Miller: established client, friend, entrepreneur, mother of three, and wife to a seemingly perfect husband. If he would only spill the beans about what he’s been up to. Grayson Miller has always gone away for business trips, as anyone would expect of a successful hedge fund manager, but the trips are becoming longer, and the laundry and aromas he returns with don’t jive with his stated destination. Inquiries about how this-or-that trip went are met with deflections or vague, one-word answers.

With Kelsey on the case, it’s soon discovered that the office he claims to be visiting is not only closed for remodeling, but he doesn’t even work for that company anymore. What at first seems like an open-and-shut case of infidelity quickly spirals into a twisty tale of organized crime, undercover law enforcement, and stakeouts. For a personal trainer moonlighting as an investigator, Kelsey is surprisingly resourceful, using everyday objects and services with such skill that she’s about as effective as the law enforcement operating alongside her.

A heaping helping of exercise and cooking talk rounds everything out. You’ll stand next to Kelsey and her co-workers as they run through exercises tailored for each client, and sit with the gang at dinner, complete with mouthwateringly vivid descriptions of what everyone ordered (sometimes down to the garnish). Crafty readers could probably put together a nice workout routine, not to mention a decent menu.

Fox’s writing is refreshingly accessible, with a colorful cast of characters at whom she’s unafraid to poke fun. She precariously straddles the line between crime fiction and farce, evoking an unlikely combination of Janet Evanovich and P.G. Wodehouse. Double agents, triple agents, safehouses, medical emergencies, unexpected family connections, murder, and even adult twins swapping places to conduct recon in each other’s homes (all revealed at the most convenient times) are just a few of the exciting twists and fake-outs employed in Double Progression. Readers will find a lot to love in this lighthearted and fun crime mystery.