Death of a Cozy Writer

June 30, 2008
Fans of stylish English detective work will welcome Malliet's droll debut, the first in a new series. When Sir Adrian Beauclerk-Fisk, a pompous cozy author, invites his four grown children to his Yuletide wedding to Violet Winthrop at his 18th-century manor outside Cambridge, none of the four is pleased at the prospect of a young stepmother who could inherit their father's vast fortune. Besides, Violet's considered a black widow who did in her first husband. Soon after Sir Adrian announces during a family dinner that he and Violet are already wed, eldest son Ruthven turns up dead in the wine cellar. Sir Adrian's subsequent murder in his office doesn't inspire tears from either his bride or his first wife. Detective Chief Inspector St. Just and Detective Sergeant Fear of the Cambridgeshire constabulary conduct a lively investigation that underscores how the lack and the love of money might be at the root of society's ills.

This mystery is even more entertaining with the infusion of performer Davina Porter's witty interpretation, becoming delightfully hilarious with her myriad accents, expressive rejoinders, wide-ranging pitch, inebriated drawls, and spot-on portrayals of key characters. This is no small feat, given the number of people gathered at the eighteenth-century manor of millionaire Sir Adrian Beauclerk-Fisk, an elderly mystery author who has announced his imminent wedding. Within hours, the murders begin to pile up, revealing contempt and ulterior motives among the multiplying suspects. Maillet's quirky mirth shines in this Agatha Award-winning mystery featuring Detective Inspector St. Just. Ironically, before his death Sir Adrian had spent his literary career shamelessly mimicking the craft of Dame Agatha Christie. A.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine