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It's winter on the island and Annie is being helped out in the bookshop by young student Chloe Martin who has a crush on a mysterious stranger she is meeting at night on the seafront. The local art gallery manager is throwing a party for the opening of their new exhibition and his complex family is in attendance; notably his newly widowed and much resented step-mother, Virginia Neville, who was formerly his father's nurse and who has unexpectedly inherited his fortune. When a body is found in the grounds and Chloe is seen running from the area, she becomes a prime suspect in the case and Annie seeks to clear her name. Meanwhile Max is drafted in as a deputy to assist the police with the case. This is a largely a traditional country house style cozy mystery. The plot and sub plot are well thought out, and the novel is well paced with a strong, surprising and satisfying resolution. I was sufficiently wrapped up in the story that I missed my usual exit from the motorway whilst listening to it in the car. However the characterisation of most of the suspects is a little weak, and I didn't find anything sufficiently endearing or charming about the main protagonists that would make me search out the others in the series. This may partly be due to Kate Reading's narrative tone, which at times I found irritatingly sweet. Perhaps readers more familiar with the series would also feel more at home on Browards Rock than I did.
Reviewed by Bridget Bolton, July 2003
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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