A CHARMING WIDOW WITH A TROUBLING HISTORY...
As if by magic, Annette Brown seems capable of dazzling men from the moment she meets them. But when Annette becomes the primary suspect in her husband's poisoning death, she arouses entirely different feelings. Now some men feel sorry for her while others are convinced she's guilty.
...PROVIDES TWO DETECTIVES WITH A MYSTERY OF SEDUCTION AND MURDER.
Jack Gibbons is a by-the-book, rising star at Scotland Yard. His friend Phillip Bethancourt is a smart, devil-may-care type with a good heart and a razor-sharp sense of people. When they reach the Brown manor in Surrey, with its colorful coterie of staff and family, Bethancourt is strangely immune to Annette's charms. As the two men delve into the case, Gibbons is sure Annette is an innocent damsel in distress. But Bethancourt is only certain of this: his earnest friend is falling in love--with a woman whose lovers keep finding ways to die.
"Chan's sprightly debut, a contemporary homage to Dorothy L. Sayers's classic Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries, introduces an appealing pair of sleuths. Traditional English mystery devotees should look forward to their further adventures." --Publisher's Weekly.
Scotland Yard detective Sergeant Jack Gibbons hears about the death of a middle-aged widower in Chipping Chedding, a small town in the English Cotswolds, and can't believe his luck. His best friend, wealthy man-about-town Phillip Bethancourt, just so happens to be in Chipping Shedding already, accompanying his model girlfriend on a fashion shoot on a country estate. Since Phillip often indulges his interest in a good mystery by aiding Jack's investigations, it's natural he'd do so now.
Though Bingham's death appears to have been accidental, tracing his movements on the evening of his death proves difficult, and Jack and Phillip begin to suspect found play. It seems Bingham was going to visit his girlfriend…but no one in chipping shedding knows who she is. And when it turns out that Bingham was hiding enormous wealth from his fellow villagers, a whole new crop of suspects begins crawling out of the woodworks…
"Gibbons and Bethancourt's second adventure is another enjoyably light-hearted look at murder among the upper classes." --Kirkus Reviews
"A well-developed plot, intriguing and likable characters, solid investigative techniques, and an excellent sense of place distinguish this second in a series." --Sue O'Brien, Booklist.
Scotland Yard Detective Sergeant Jack Gibbons has been shot twice, and even the surgery he isn't out of the woods and may still be in danger because he can't remember how it all happened. While his colleagues dig into his personal life, his best friend, Phillip Bethancourt, focuses on his last case, the robbery of a collection of antique jewelry valued at hundreds of thousands of pounds. Although Bethancourt is a man of leisure--handsome, charismatic, and fantastically well off--he makes a point of tagging along on Jack's more interesting cases.
But this time it's different. Not only is it personal, but Bethancourt will have to fill in the blanks without Jack, and retracing his friend's step may put him in the same line of fire.
"A solid plot and view of some of London's more obscure neighborhoods enhance Chan's third contemporary cozy … Chan pulls off an ending as surprising as it is fitting." --Publisher's Weekly
Best friends Phillip Bethancourt, a wealthy man-about-town, and Scotland Yard Detective Sergeant Jack Gibbons are each on their way to Yorkshire over Christmas, though not together. While Bethancourt is returning to his family' estate for spend the holiday with relatives--a dreaded task--Gibbons must determine whether a particular murder is the work of a serial killer. It looks like it most likely is. As it turnout, Gibbons isn't on the case for more than a day before the understaffed locals ask him to look into another.
Jodie Farraday, a former bookshop employee who disappeared about a year ago, is found strangled in that same shop Christmas morning. The modus operandi is similar to the serial killer's, but not exactly the same. It could be a copy cat. It could be a coincidence. Either way, Gibbons could certainly use his good friend's help as he investigates the citizens of a Yorkshire that has suddenly turned quite deadly. Luckily, Bethancourt is all too eager to escape his own holiday and join the hunt.
"Readers who have somehow missed the first three installments of this series are really in for a treat. Chan's literate and charming mysteries are rightfully compared to those of golden age British crime fiction." --Booklist.
"Chan beefs up the mystery while retaining the golden age feel to produce her best work to date." --Kirkus Reviews