Edwina Davenport is having a bit of financial
embarrassment. A frugal soul, she has
made all the economies she possibly can, and it isn’t enough. She will have to take in a boarder. Accordingly, she places an ad: Well-bred
lady with spacious home seeks genteel lodger.
Reasonable rates. She knows that this will cause a bit of gossip in
the village of Walmsley Parva, but it can’t be helped.
Amazingly, the ad is spotted by an old school
friend, the American adventuress Beryl Helliwell. Beryl is in rather a need of a change
herself. She’s lived an exciting life
that has made her the toast of newsreels, left a trail of ex-husbands, and now
she wants a bit of quiet. Returning to
America right now doesn’t sound appealing, what with Prohibition and all, so
Beryl decides to pay her old friend a visit.
The arrival of so notable a personage in little
Walmsley Parva sets off all sorts of speculation, so Beryl decides to make the
most of it. She pays a visit to Prudence, the most notorious gossip in town,
and implies that she and Edwina are actually undercover agents and that
Edwina’s apparent poverty was just a cover.
Now they are investigating a case right in the village, but Beryl is not
at liberty to divulge details.
What was meant as a lark turns deadly serious when
Edwina is attacked and a girl meets with an untimely end. It seems that Edwina and Beryl really do have
a case to solve, preferably before the body count rises.
This is a first in series book, but the author
skillfully introduced characters and never allowed the story to drag. There’s a bit of humor, warmth of friendship,
good characters, and I enjoyed the 1920s English village setting. Downton
Abbey fans will find much to like, but
this book would be a fine choice for anyone who enjoys a British style cozy.
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