When one of mystery writer Antonia Darcy's admiring readers, Bee Ardleigh, becomes over friendly, Antonia finds it just a bit of a bore. But when she and husband Major Hugh Payne are persuaded to visit Bee at Millbrook House, they begin to suspect it's something more sinister. Is the lovely Bee, newly wed, really an invalid? Where does her female live-in companion go on her frequent outings? Why would the mortally ill master of nearby Ospreys estate decide to change his will and leave his vast fortune to Beatrice? Hugh and Antonia become embroiled in a gruesome death in their perilous pursuit of the truth.Praise for R.T. Raichev 'Fascinating and surreal.' Lady Antonia Fraser 'All so ingenious.' Emma Tennant 'Clever and complex.' Francis Wyndham 'Splendidly old-fashioned sleuthery ... skilfully probes the surface smoothness of country houses ...couldn't put it down.' Hugh Massingberd 'This auspicious first in a new mystery series from Raichev ... Agatha Christie fans will find much to like in this traditional whodunit.' Publishers Weekly 'The kind of old-school English mysteries that fans of Christie and Sayers love ... but this will be pleasing to more than traditionalists, because it adds a P. D. Jamesian subtlety to the comfortable Christie formula. Antonia Darcy is a terrific sleuth, and Raichev is a very clever writer, indeed.' Booklist
