The Missing Diamond Murder

January 29, 2018
Frances Black, the 28-year-old heroine of this so-so series launch set in 1929 Lancashire from British author Janes (Stick or Twist), has joined a literary society dedicated to the life and works of children’s poet Robert Barnaby as a way to pass the time after her husband left her for another woman. Divorce is out of the question for the well-brought-up Fran, who has a private income, as it would bring shame on her family. At the society’s annual conference, one of the speakers, Linda Dexter, goes missing. A few days later her body is discovered on a little-used railway line. Fran decides to do a little sleuthing, aided by her friend Mo and handsome fellow Barnaby fan Tom Dod. Could Linda’s death be connected to the paper she was going to deliver at the conference? That Fran lives alone without her husband causes her no social repercussions, and the “no divorce” premise serves mainly as a device to keep Fran and Tom apart. Period language is scarce, and clues are too obvious. Hopefully, Janes will up her game next time.

September 15, 2019
It's 1930, and Fran Black is in the middle of an ugly divorce from her philandering husband. To take her mind off her situation, Fran agrees to do some amateur sleuthing for her friend Tom Dod. Traveling to the estate of the wealthy Edgerton family in remote Devon, Fran has only a vague idea of what she's supposed to investigate. On arriving at the Edgertons', she discovers that Frederick, the elderly, wheelchair-bound scion of the family, died in somewhat mysterious circumstances, and the diamond he kept in the safe in his room disappeared and has never been found. Fran's job is to find the diamond. Interviewing the Edgerton family and servants, staving off the unwanted attention of Edgerton son Eddie, trying to understand whether Frederick's death was an accident or something more sinister, and, of course, determining what happened to the diamond?all definitely take Fran's mind off her personal situation. In the end, she finds answers, but not the ones the family wanted. An engaging heroine, coupled with fine insights on British life in the 1930s, makes this an attractive choice for historical-mystery fans.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)

February 1, 2018
Casting around for something to distract her after her husband left her for another woman, Fran Black joins the Robert Barnaby Society, which celebrates a notable British children's poet. It's 1929 in rural England, and the meetings give Fran a chance to meet new people. But at the annual conference, Linda Dexter, who is supposed to speak to the group, fails to appear. The members are horrified later when Linda's body is found beside a railroad track. The police rule her death a suicide, but Fran isn't so sure. Why would Linda have chosen such an isolated location, where the trains only run sporadically? Why was her burnt-out car found miles from the death scene? And what was her motive? She was attractive, wealthy, and had just completed a fascinating paper on Barnaby. Fran teams up with Tom Dod, another society member, to launch their own investigation. After a slow start, the narrative quickly takes off with unexpected twists, well-drawn period ambience, a cast of agreeable poetry buffs, and a satisfyingly tricky plot.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)