British Manor Murder

"Reading a new Leslie Meier mystery is like catching up with a dear old friend." --Kate Carlisle, New York Times bestselling author It's a nippy spring in Tinker's Cove, Maine, and Lucy Stone can't wait to join her friend Sue in England for a "Heads Up " hat exhibition. But at Moreton Manor, privileged life isn't always tea and crumpets . . . Although the earl of the house and his sister are surprisingly accommodating to their jetlagged guests, Lucy feels uneasy after a fallen portrait sparks talk of a deadly family omen. The bad vibes come in quickly--snobby Aunt Millicent and her handmaiden Harrison unexpectedly drop by for the exhibition, and meals with the family are consistently tense. But real trouble begins when a body, bludgeoned by the chapel's gold-plated reliquary, is found in a hidden, sealed off room. Stranger still, the corpse is identified as Harrison's son, Cyril. While Cyril wasn't exactly a gentleman, and it's unclear what business he had on the property, one thing's for sure--the criminal is privy to Moreton Manor secrets. And Lucy has a hunch that the killer has been in her company all along, just waiting for a chance to make blueblood run red . . . "Counts, countesses, and corpses highlight Lucy Stone's trip across the pond . . . A peek into British country life provides a nice break." -- Kirkus Reviews