by Sandra Murphy

Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of A Most Novel Revenge, and a link to order it from Amazon, as well as a link to purchase it from an indie bookstore where a portion goes to help support KRL.

England, 1933. Amory and Milo were set to go to Italy until Amory got a note from her cousin Laurel. It was short, cryptic, and urgent, so they set out for Lyonsgate, home of Reginald Lyons. It’s been seven years since the house was occupied due to a tragedy after a party where drink and drugs flowed freely. Edwin Green was discovered frozen to death on the lawn. It was thought he had too much to drink and passed out before managing the trek from the summerhouse to the main house.

Until Isobel Van Allen wrote a fictionalized version of the story and was published. In the book, she accused another guest, Bradford Glenn, of dragging the passed out Green outdoors and leaving him there to die. Glenn was ostracized and later killed himself.

With that background, Amory wonders why the same people would be willing to revisit Lyonsgate. Reggie is there but a reluctant host. Isobel is acting as hostess which is odd. Her secretary, Desmond, is much more than a secretary—in fact, it seems he does no work at all.

Isobel drops the bombshell at dinner that she is writing a sequel to set things straight and tell what really happened during the party. Everyone is on edge with secrets to hide or lapsed memories to wonder about.

Isobel is ill, but Amory thinks someone should check on her. She finds Isobel’s body in a pool of blood. Now the police have asked everyone to stay on until the investigation can be completed.

As the only outsiders in the group, Amory and Milo are able to ask questions about Isobel and her motive in writing another book as well as the past deaths to find a killer who’s not afraid to kill again.

This is the third book in the Amory Ames Mystery series. The setting is very English, with large drafty rooms, a valet for Milo and ladies maid for Amory, traveling with trunks of clothing to be ready for any situation that comes up—including murder. Amory and Milo are reminiscent of Nick and Nora in their banter and lifestyle. This is an enjoyable trip to the countryside, to sit back with a cocktail, and solve a murder in style.

To enter to win a copy of A Most Novel Revenge, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “revenge,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen October 22, 2016. U.S. residents only. If entering via email please include your mailing address, and if via comment please include your email address.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & short stories in our mystery section.

Use this link to purchase the book & a portion goes to help support KRL & indie bookstore Mysterious Galaxy:

A Most Novel Revenge: A Mystery

You can also use this link to purchase the book on Amazon. If you have ad blocker on you may not see the link:

Sandra Murphy lives in the shadow of the Arch, in the land of blues, booze and shoes—St Louis, Missouri. While writing magazine articles to support her mystery book habit, she secretly polishes mystery books of her own, hoping, someday, they will see the light of Barnes and Noble and a Kindle. You can find several of Sandra’s short stories at Untreed Reads including her newest, “Arthur,” included in the anthology titled, Flash and Bang, available now. Look for Denali, in the anthology Dogs and Dragons.