A Most Novel Revenge

July 11, 2016
Edgar-finalist Weaver’s captivating third mystery set in 1930s England (after 2015’s Death Wears a Mask) takes socialite Amory Ames and her newly reformed playboy husband, Milo, to Lyonsgate, a country estate, where a death occurred one evening years earlier. The guests from that tragic evening—plus Amory and Milo—have been reassembled by Isobel Van Allen, a magnetic woman who scandalized society with a novel, The Dead of Winter, closely based on drug- and alcohol-fueled events that led up to the discovery of the body. The book ended with an accusation of murder against a fellow partygoer, but Isobel found herself ousted by society when the real-life model for the accused committed suicide. Isobel’s dramatic announcement of a sequel during the current fraught reunion leads to outrage and her murder. To catch a killer, Amory sorts through the murky past with the reluctant aid of Milo; their charged relationship adds narrative tension. Fascinating and stylish characters fill out a finely tuned traditional mystery. Agent: Ann Collette, Rees Literary Agency.

A cousin's call for help seriously complicates a wealthy society sleuth's holiday.Amory Ames and her husband, Milo (Death Wears a Mask, 2015, etc.), have had a rocky relationship, perhaps because Milo's so handsome and charming that Amory's never sure if his flirting is a cover for something deeper. Though things have recently improved, Milo's not pleased that they've accepted an invitation to a cold country house instead of the trip to Italy he'd planned. Amory's cousin Laurel was unfortunate enough to have been a guest at Lyonsgate when the mysterious death of Edwin Green caused a scandal that was vastly overblown after another guest, Isobel Van Allen, wrote a thinly veiled novel based on the incident. Now Isobel's come home from Kenya and insists that everyone who was there that night return as well. Since Edwin Green can't attend and the man Isobel hinted murdered him has committed suicide, Isobel fills out the party by adding her secretary, her current lover, and the Ameses. Isobel claims she's writing a new novel that will reveal much more about the event--so when Amory stumbles over her bloody body, the police have plenty of suspects. Chief among them are members of the Lyons family: Reggie, who was in love with Isobel; his sister, Beatrice, the object of both the dead men's affections; and his much younger half sister, Lucinda, who's quickly fallen for Milo. Also visiting at the time of Green's death were Amory's old school friend, her husband, and an artist who'd given up painting until he met Amory. Despite Milo's every effort to curb her sleuthing instincts, Amory can't help but look for clues, especially after another murder. A pleasant reminder of golden-age mysteries that keep you guessing until the denouement. COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

September 1, 2016
Society sleuths Milo and Amory Ames postpone a February trip to Italy to respond to an unexpected invitation to Lyonsgate, a Shropshire country home, at the behest of Amory's cousin Laurel. Estate owner Reginald Lyons has just reopened the manor, after avoiding it for several years following a high-profile murder during a house party in 1925. Among the guests this 1933 weekend is notorious novelist and socialite Isobel Van Allen, whose roman a clef about the murder had made her a social outcast. Her time in Africa did not heal any wounds, as she is the victim in this closed-house mystery. Amory and Milo use the earlier novel, village gossip, and their own observations to reveal the real killerand unearth some unseemly Lyons family history along the way. As with Weaver's first two in this series, the upper-class setting, the Ames' banter, and the intricate plotting make for a delightful cozy.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)

May 1, 2016

When she's not acting as technical services coordinator at the Allen Parish Libraries in Oberlin, LA, Weaver writes the frothy traditionals in the 1930s England-set "Amory Ames" series. In this third title, Amory and suave husband Milo are invited to a country-house gathering presided over by scandalous socialite Isobel Van Allen, who's about to follow her thinly veiled novel of a murder at that very house with a second novel said to reveal all. Not surprisingly, someone objects rather bloodily.

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