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New York resident Catherine Penny has moved to an English village to be near her daughter, son-in-law and especially her grandchild, Archie. Disillusioned with her 30-year marriage going down the drain, it is time to make a new beginning and she has hopes for a cheery start. But this does not last long. Archie falls and needs to be taken for medical attention while in his grandmother's care. She is establishing a track record for something going awry when this child is with her. Continuing on the theme of bummers, Catherine sees her ex-husband -- accompanied by his paramour -- for the first time since their split. This is uncomfortable; there are only so many places to look away and only so many other places to be in a room. Earlier after the breakup, she had prided herself that Quin had left her for a young, shapely female, but this was not the case. The other woman, Janet, is not that young and somewhat insecure. She clings to Quin in an annoying way and does not present a friendly picture. I felt sorry for the three of them. Quin is present too many times for Catherine. It was a bit over the top for me too. She would occasionally revisit her life with Quin and try to come to terms with how it is today and not how it was 30 years ago. The confrontation and badgering between the two is plausible but becomes a bit old hat. Catherine is aware that she needs to examine her feelings for her ex-husband and decide how to proceed. Just when I was beginning to be annoyed, the author changes the pace and comes back to center. Catherine's son-in-law Peter is hoping to receive the head position at the prestigious Elizabethan Playwrights Department. He asks for all of his family to be present, so that means that Catherine and Quin must once again be in the same room. Life does not always go as anticipated and they all hear the announcement that another person is named for this distinguished post. Soon, there is a murder and Peter is in jail. The individual appointed to the post is a womanizer and his wife is one of the most fascinating characters in the story. She is conflicted and much deeper than first appearances reveal. Another character who is interesting is the local vicar. He is described as having "an openness untypical of the English." Perhaps there will be more from him in a later installment, because I think he has much more to offer. For the animal lovers, yes, indeed, this author delivers. Muzzle is the rat-catching cat that resides with Catherine. More than once, there has been a burial for some critter that Muzzle has brought home. Through a little help from her friends, Catherine snoops around and sleuths gently. Even though I had occasional doubts when reading, the story did deliver and was a comfortable read. This story provides more for readers who gravitate to Elizabethan literary works, something not often found in mysteries. Throughout the story, many of the academics gather and discuss authors not known necessarily to the general public and not known to Catherine. At one point, she quotes Beatrix Potter which I found to be delightfully funny. This is the second in the series, preceded by ARSON AND OLD LACE.
Reviewed by Rita Ratacheck, January 2005
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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