Carol Pouliot’s Threshold of Deceit is the second in her Blackwell and Watson Time-Travel mysteries.

It’s 1934, and the Depression is still felt, John Dillinger is on the run, and people trying to ignore rumors of Hitler’s strength. A nature-filled picnic soon becomes the site of a murder; readers know the killer of Frankie Russo is a woman, but which of the suspects introduced could it be?

Detective Steven Blackwell has many women in his life in the small NY town of Knightbsbridge who need to be eliminated, some related by marriage. The woman his thoughts linger on, however, is Olivia, the young woman from contemporary times who he’s met through extraordinary circumstances.

Living in the house where he grew up, Steven and Olivia are navigating this unusual facet and it’s Olivia who wants to spend time in 1934. But will she be able to return to her time?

On her first prolonged visit, period details Olivia notices at a smoke-filled pub, while wearing Steven’s mother’s clothing, set the stage for the era, as does the absence of cell phones. Using her research background as cover, Olivia and Steven explain that she’s writing a series of articles on women of the time and their roles, from the famous like Katharine Hepburn and Amelia Earhart, to the local women at the knitting factory.

Frankie Russo was married to Lucy, but was known as a ladies man, working two jobs, alternating weeks away at his second job in Syracuse. As Steven’s investigation widens, detecting in 1934 is vastly different from today’s forensic work and plethora of tools available to the police. Then a second murder occurs, bringing the pressure to bear on Steven and his team.

Meanwhile, Olivia has detecting of her own to do. Her elder friend, Isabel, asks Olivia to use her research skills to find the twin brother she’s never known. Readers see how Olivia manages look for the missing sibling using today’s methods, a nice contrast to the murder investigation.

Pouliot gets the slang of 1934 just right while wrapping up both investigations. Along the way there will be family secrets, blackmail, affairs, and adoptions. And the time-travel continues between these two compelling characters. A satisfying sequel that will leave readers waiting for book three.