Publisher's Weekly Review
Set in 1929, British author Janes's pedestrian sequel to The Magic Chair Murder opens with 28-year-old Frances Black, who's separated from her philandering husband, Michael, learning that Michael's girlfriend is with child. This news doesn't daunt Frances for long, as she has other things to keep her occupied. In particular, the great-aunt of her friend Tom Dod, who nobly married his dead brother's pregnant fiancée in order to give the tyke the family name, is worried that a killer is stalking members of her church in the little town of St. Agnes Durley Dean. Several parishioners die, all of them having voiced their disapproval of the changes made by the new reverend. In the course of their inquiries, Frances and Tom indulge in meandering conversations and not much deductive reasoning. Though attracted to each other, the two know they must remain "merely friends, with some shared interests," such as investigating suspicious deaths. Since Janes, who's also a true-crime author, has yet to learn how to bury clues, those expecting much mystery will be disappointed. (Nov.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Star-crossed lovers do their best to solve a series of crimes.Fran Black's husband has left her for a lover he's gotten pregnant. But Fran is loath to upset her conservative mother by getting a divorce, still a scandalous step in 1920s England. She's in love with Tom Dod, who's done the honorable thing by marrying the sweetheart of his brother, killed in the war, even though his gallant gesture has trapped him in his own loveless marriage. When Tom's Aunt Hetty calls him about some strange happenings at St. Agnes Durley Dean, where the new vicar's popish ways have divided the congregation, Fran and Tom jump at the opportunity to resume their sleuthing (The Magic Chair Murder, 2018, etc.). Several of the vicar's severest critics have died in suspicious accidents. The first of them drowned in a pond. Hetty's friend Miss Tilling was found at the bottom of the stairs along with a group of items pulled from a shelf, including a heavy statue presumed to have hit her in the head. The most recent victim is Mrs. Ripley, the bank manager's wife, a hypochondriac whose stomach problems, which everyone had assumed to be imaginary, suddenly killed her. Dr. Owen has certified all the deaths as natural or accidental, but when the police get a letter accusing Mr. Ripley of murdering his wife, her body is exhumed and found to contain arsenic. Once Ripley is arrested, the sleuthing duo is asked by his family to prove him innocent, a job that proves to be no easy feat.Although mystery mavens will quickly follow the clues to the solution, there are still plenty of red herrings, period charm, and a love story to keep them reading. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Amateur sleuths Fran Black and Tom Dod return in this charming mystery set in an English village in 1929. The duo, who met while attending literary-society events, felt an instant affinity with one another but were unable to progress romantically due to unusual personal circumstances. Putting their energy into sleuthing instead, they have solved several mysteries. When Tom's Aunt Hetty contacts them to say she thinks something odd is going on in her village and asks for their help, they agree to investigate. Hetty says there's a controversial new vicar in town who has split the congregation, with some members leaving the church and others sending a letter of protest to the bishop. Now three of those who signed the letter have died, seemingly of natural causes, but Aunt Hetty isn't convinced. Is a cold-blooded killer at work? A revealing look at the social customs of the time, a cast of captivating characters in the Agatha Christie mold, and an engaging plot make this a good pick for fans of the traditional British cozy.--Emily Melton Copyright 2018 Booklist
