Elaine Viets

Elaine Viets is a mystery writer whose work includes the Angela Richman, Death Investigator sequence. The Dead Of Night, published in 2023, is the seventh novel in that series. Angela works in Chouteau Forest, an affluent community outside St. Louis, and the case begins when two bodies are found in a crypt connected with a prominent local family. Viets keeps the investigation and setting closely joined as wealth, family history, and influence complicate official work. Angela’s specialized knowledge gives the story a professional viewpoint rather than making her an accidental investigator. The crypt discovery also brings police chief Butch Ray and officer Jace Budewitz into a case whose apparent solution does not settle every question. The Dead Of Night extends the sequence through a mystery rooted in inheritance and local power. Its confined burial setting contrasts with the social reach of the family involved, giving Angela a case in which physical evidence and community standing pull in different directions.