It’s Christmas Eve Eve and this is a bit of a cheat because I finished it on Monday morning – but I did finish it so early that Goodreads still tried to date it as Sunday, so that’s almost like I did finish it on Sunday right? I’ll keep telling myself that…
It’s 1931 and Clarice and Cliff have been invited to a housewarming party at a new modern mansion on the coast. Their host, Sir James, has been persuaded to build it by his second wife Lady Theodora, who seems determined to set her stepchildren agains her. But when she’s found dead in the swimming pool they are not the only people who might have wanted her out of the way. The police think they know who did it but Clarice and Cliff aren’t convinced so set out to investigate themselves.
This is the second In Hugh Morrison’s new series. I mentioned the first one in Quick Reviews back in February but you really don’t have to have read that to enjoy this, which is why I’m fine with breaking my own rules about only recommending first in series. I like a mystery set at a country house and this one has plenty of suspects and a denouement that makes a change from suspects sitting around in a drawing room to be accused. It’s definitely a summery book, so reading it in the depths of winter will make you pine for a bit of sunshine – particularly if you’re reading it on the winter solstice! – but if you’re in the southern hemisphere it might feel more apt this week than a snowy Christmas book!
This is in Kindle Unlimited at the moment, as is the first one. This of course means it’s not on Kobo. Amazon claims to have a paperback, but I suspect it’s a print on demand type situation so I don’t think you’ll find it in the shops – certainly I don’t think I’ve seen any of Morrison’s other books in the wild.
Happy Reading!
Verity Reads Books (lots of them) 
I have KU at the moment so I will look out for these two.