Bright and Deadly Things
Lexie Elliott
Berkley
Oxford don Dr. Emily Rivers is recovering from the death of her husband Nick in a car accident. An invitation to stay at the Chalet des Anglais seems the perfect chance for Emily to pass through the grieving process. The Chalet is an Alpine retreat jointly owned by three Oxford colleges, open via invitation only to select students and faculty. The place suffered tragedy in the past when a fire destroyed it, causing a number of deaths.
… a captivating mystery with brilliant characterization and a genuine, unnerving sense of growing danger and intrigue.
Delayed by a missed flight Emily suffers a break-in at her home. Her tension doesn’t dissipate when she arrives at the chalet. An old, strange grandfather clock seems to have an unnerving effect on the chalet’s inhabitants, chiming at odd hours and keeping an erratic but accurate tempo. Someone goes through Emily’s things and tries to hack her computer. A disquieting undercurrent flows through the assembled guests, caused by a new opening at the university. It’s generating a fierce streak of competitiveness among those eligible for the post, one Emily’s late husband was a shoo-in for. She learns shocking details about some of the guests, one of whom makes a pass at her, and when that person goes missing on the mountainside Emily finds herself a target. Can she identify the culprit and their motive before tragedy strikes the Chalet des Anglais once more?
Lexie Elliott’s Bright and Deadly Things is a captivating mystery with brilliant characterization and a genuine, unnerving sense of growing danger and intrigue. Evocative descriptions of the Alpine scenery make the majestic real-life setting come alive.
