MURDER AT THE BRIGHTWELL

A lovely seaside hotel is the backdrop for murder.

England, 1932. Young, beautiful and wealthy, Amory Ames has a dashingly handsome, equally wealthy husband and an unhappy marriage. Milo Ames is seldom home, and when he is, their relationship is, to put it politely, strained. So when Amory's former fiance, Gilmore Trent, begs her to go to the Brightwell Hotel with him to help break up his sister Emmeline’s romance with Rupert Howe, she agrees, even though her joining Gil may create a scandal. Upon their arrival, Amory and Gil run into Yvonne Roland, a society gossip who jumps to the conclusion that they’re a couple. There’s quite a mixed group vacationing at the Brightwell, but when Howe is found dead at the base of a cliff, it’s Gil who’s suspected of killing him. Amory, still in love with Milo, feels guilty about dumping Gil. She’s quite fond of him and determined to prove him innocent despite warnings from DI Jones that her sleuthing could prove dangerous. When Milo arrives on the scene, their brittle conversations don’t tell Amory whether he’s motivated by jealousy or just looking for excitement. Snooping in the room of the bullying Nelson Hamilton, the pair is forced to hide in a wardrobe when he suddenly returns to take a bath. Attempting to sneak away, they find him dead in the bathtub. Despite her unhappiness and confusion in her relationships, Amory is still determined to save Gil, even if her snooping puts her on the killer’s to-do list.

A spunky heroine, a tense romance and red herrings galore make Weaver’s debut a pleasant read for nostalgia buffs who miss Agatha Christie.