The Murder of Orson Crane: Case 24: A Lt. Kate Gazzara Novel

by Blair Howard

A locked room. A dead judge. An impossible crime.

Judge Orson Crane ruled his courtroom with an iron fist and his family with an even harder one. Now he's dead, shot in his locked study with a gun at his side and his key on the desk.

Suicide. Case closed.

But Captain Kate Gazzara isn't buying it. Something about that locked room isn't adding up.

As Kate digs deeper into the Crane family's secrets, she uncovers gambling debts, affairs, missing weapons, festering resentment, and a patriarch whose cruelty touched everyone around him. Two sons, each with a motive. A wife with secrets. Grandchildren who lived under his tyranny.

Someone in that house wanted Orson Crane dead. Someone who committed an impossible crime.

In her final case, Kate faces a killer who thought of everything. Well, almost everything.

Available for pre-order now.

316 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication February 23, 2026

About the author

Blair C. Howard is a Royal Air Force veteran, a retired journalist, and the best-selling author of more than 50 novels, including the international best-selling Harry Starke series, and 23 travel books. In 2021, having been fascinated by the heavens almost from childhood, and a SciFi fan for almost as long, he decided to try his hand at writing a military space opera. His first journey into this genre resulted in the Sovereign Stars series. Book 1 in the series, Avenger was quickly followed by Gods of War and Armored Fleet.

Blair lives in East Tennessee with his wife Jo, and Jack Russell Terrier, Sally.

Reviews

[Voracious Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why must all good things come to an end? But since they do, in my opinion, this book was an excellent place to do so.

It appeared that Orson Crane had committed suicide but an observant Officer noticed details that did not seem consistent with that call. Enter Kate Gazzara and her Major Crimes team. Kate agrees it was not suicide and now she has a locked room murder mystery to solve. How did the murderer exit the room? Who perpetrated the crime.

Being the thorough investigator Kate is, she finds that nearly everyone in the household had motive to want Judge Crane dead. Now she just needs to figure out the who and the how.

This mystery was very good. The investigation was interesting. The ending was surprising. Kate is a wonderful character and I love that Samson, another of my favorites, was featured in his emotionally supporting role.

I received an ARC of this book, my thoughts are shared voluntarily.

[Craig Smedley]

Captain Kate Gazzara is faced with the death of a prominent Chattanooga citizen, which of course brings with it pressure from her boss and the local establishment. Found behind his study locked door with a fatal head wound, everything points to suicide but a uniformed police officer sees something that also resonates with Kate and so her investigation starts with plenty of possible murder suspects in the expanded family that live in the same large mansion. Dead end after dead end come to the fore but Kate and the team are determined to successfully resolve the case.
Twists and turns are plenty with various motives coming to the fore as the investigation progresses and although all family members have alibis, eventually one suspect is identified and the case cracked. Then there is a final twist that perhaps only the author could see coming! Another great story from Blair Howard.

[Sally Eldridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two women chatting in a kitchen after a family dinner, a very natural occurrence.  The quiet of the house suddenly broken by a sharp sound! A gunshot coming from the area of Orson's study. The door is locked and no one is answering. The spare key is used to open the door and there sits Orson, dead. Suicide? Murder? The forensics will determine that it was murder. But how did it happen. The room was locked from the inside. This is a web of intense feelings created by a manipulative, domineering, cruel man. Everyone has a reason to do 'it'.  The characters are well-developed  and believable.  The plot line makes sense. I kept thinking of solutions, but was not correct. It's a good, interesting read. I couldn't put it down. I think you'll be surprised in the end.

[Bonnie Blackledge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Orson Crane had a reputation as a stern judge, and he was just as demanding with his family. When Crane is found dead in his study, it appears to be a suicide. However, there are too many inconsistencies with the evidence. When Kate starts the investigation, she finds she is facing a typical locked room mystery, and she works hard to figure out how Crane could have been murdered.
After three weeks of investigation, Kate believes she has figured out who the murderer is. Even though the crime seems impossible, she is convinced she knows how it was done. Blair Howard has stated this will be the last book in the Kate Gazzara series. She proved her expertise in solving this crime, so maybe this isn’t the last we’ll see of her.

[Sandass · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kate Gazzara's tenure as a cop detective in Chattanooga has ended. Its been an amazing run. She's an amazing person, working with her dog Samson, solving mysteries. Somehow, they always seem to include murder.
Kate relies on her team to get the job done, but she's not working nearly as closely with some of my favorites as she once did.
She is not constantly in danger in this story. She doesn't pull all-nighters like she did in her youth.
There is a great theme running through this book about what a nasty, mean old man the murdered judge was. It's a wonder that several people didn't try to off him. There were plenty enough suspects.
Kate has been a great one to follow, for years, and she will be missed. I still have several of her books TBR so I'm not going to say good bye yet.

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was sad to read that this would be the last story about Kate and Samson. Their story’s have been among my favourite by this author. As it turns out at the end, we may see more of them but in a different capacity (read the book to learn more).

A locked room mystery confronts Kate and her team. The investigation has to dig deep in order to reveal all the pieces necessary to solve the puzzle. It’s another very good procedural and the author keeps the story moving at a good pace. There are numerous twists that have to be taken into account by Kate’s team. I enjoyed the book very much and gave it 5 stars.

I received an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Steven T. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A prominent former judge is found dead in his locked private study from a gunshot wound to his temple. Suicide or murder? It’s seems like an open and shut case. The door was locked and there’s no other exit from the room. However, something seems off. Kate and her team have to dig deep and interview family members, staff, friends, and acquaintances repeatedly to find the answers needed to solve the case. You will enjoy the journey as Kate and her team unravel the case. It will keep you guessing who was responsible for Orson Crane’s death. Orson, a family member, or someone else? Enjoy the ride!

[Pamela Long · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Murder of Orson Crane delivers a classic locked‑room mystery with the sharp, steady pacing Blair Howard is known for. As Lt. Kate Gazzara tackles her final case, the story leans into family secrets, long‑buried resentments, and the unsettling power dynamics inside the Crane household. The setup—a judge found dead in a sealed study—feels satisfyingly impossible, and watching Kate unravel the truth provides a clean blend of procedural detail and emotional tension. It’s a fitting, engaging send‑off for a character who’s carried this series with grit and heart.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

When words become weapons…
Presumptions are never a good means for connecting the dots, especially when they are out of alignment. Captain Kate Gazzara and her team have to dig deep to unravel the truth when a prominent, hard-edged Judge is found dead in his locked study with no obvious means for someone to escape the scene. Practically all of several family members and servants present in the mansion have opportunity and motive but there is no hard evidence…Another good mystery by Blair Howard and a major turning point for Kate Gazzara…a very worthwhile read.

[Hope Gerhardstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Things are not always as they first appear. When Orson Crane is found shot in the head in his locked study, it appears to be a suicide. But something seems off to the officer that arrived first to the scene. Kate is asked to investigate. How could someone commit a murder in a locked room and disappear before others arrive to the scene? There are multiple potential suspects. How could it happen? Who was responsible? Kate and her team on on the case and do some of their best work to solve the dilemma. Great read.

[Anne G. Kasaba · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the story but I sure will miss Kate and Samson being a regular part of Blair Howard’s line up. There cannot have been a better send off to this protagonist than a locked room mystery. Of course Kate and her team solved the crime brilliantly. Hopefully Samson and Kate will make appearances from time to time in other series.

I received an arc of this book and voluntarily provided a review.

[Jim Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

A puzzling locked room suicide/murder mystery that will stretch Kate's abilities of a solution to the limit. Very well written mystery with a great storyline and an excellent cast of characters. Contains plenty of suspects, lots of suspense, and misdirection. A page turning enjoyable read that I highly recommend. Kate's last murder case was an excellent one. Very good ending to an outstanding series.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, wow and wow again. What an awesome case to finish on. (Something I am not too happy with I can tell you, the finishing that is). A fascinating story, I do love this author’s books anyway but this one had me from page one to the ending I again didn’t see coming. I absolutely loved every single word. So I can’t even say on to the next one now anymore can I. Very definitely must read.

[Alan Cobb · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Final excellent chapter in the Kate Gazzara series, full of the usual action and suspense that you expect from these books, story line excellent with a fitting ending for Kate. I enjoyed it So should you.

[John Barberio · Rating 5 out of 5]

A locked room mystery. Lots of twists and intriguing plot. This is the last ever Kate Gazzara book.

[Rowan Creech · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a captivating little mystery with a delightful surprise ending featuring beloved characters from previous books in the series. It was an excellent read that kept me thoroughly engaged.