False Step - (Abbot Agency Mystery) by Veronica Heley (Hardcover)

About the Book

Bea Abbot's domestic agency does not investigate murder--that is, until she finds herself in the company of a dead man dressed as a pantomime dame. It looks like suicide, but why is the man's daughter so keen to hustle his remains away?

Book Synopsis

An Abbot Agency Mystery

Bea Abbot's domestic agency does not, repeat not, investigate murder...that is, until she finds herself in the company of a dead man dressed as a pantomime dame. It looks like suicide, but why don't his red-spangled shoes fit? Matthew Kent was an entertainer known to be a kindly and modest man in private, so why had he staged this grotesque charade in death? And why is his daughter so keen to hustle his mortal remains away without publicity? Then again, who exactly inherits his delightful Kensington house, and which of the women around him - two surviving wives and a daughter - really cared about him, rather than his money?

Bea's own house is in chaos as builders remodel the agency offices, and to make matters worse, Max, her Member of Parliament son, moves in with her when his marriage looks like breaking down. Struggling to run the agency from her bedroom, concerned about both her young assistants' emotional problems, Bea tries to discover what the body on the bed was really like in life, why there is so much confusion about his death, and who is destined to die next...

Review Quotes

"Careful sleuthing leads to a surprising finale"-- "Publishers Weekly"

"Clever clueing and a shocking solution place what would otherwise have been a routine cozy above the competition"-- "Kirkus Reviews"

"Heley, one of the most engaging British mystery writers today, strings Bea along until she springs some surprises on unsuspecting readers. Think Agatha Christie meets Mary Roberts Rinehard in modern London. For most collections"-- "Library Journal"

"The plot takes so many bizarre twists and turns that even the most seasoned reader will be surprised at the ending. Although the story gets off to a slow start, readers who persist will be well rewarded with this wacky, fast-paced, and even rather charming mystery"-- "Booklist"