Death of a Minor Character

A couple's been separated for six years-but it doesn't stop them from sleuthing together-in this British mystery by a CWA Lifetime Achievement Award winner.

Virginia Freer has had it with her sort-of-ex-husband's taste for drama. A shopkeeper who lived in Virginia's town has been murdered, and Felix Freer's neighbor in London, a sweet old bird, has too. The crimes took place miles apart. But look at the coincidences, Felix insists. That unpleasant silversmith. That awful couple seeking revenge. These were not two separate murders, according to him-there is Something going on.

Virginia raises an eyebrow and sighs deeply: The world lost a second Olivier, she thinks, when Felix opted for gambling, mooching, and petty theft rather than the stage. But eventually even her relentless pragmatism gets worn down, and thank goodness, because there is, indeed, Something going on. And Felix and Virginia are just the duo to sort it out, chalk and cheese though they may be . . .

"There are few detective-story writers so consistently good." -Sunday Times