Murder in the Museum by Simon Brett

"As exciting as discovering a hidden Priest's Hole. . ."

"Esmond Chadleigh: the late great poet, children's author, essayist and fantasy writer, has a skeleton in his closet."

". . .another witty Fethering Mystery. . ."

Esmond Chadleigh: the late great poet, children''s author, essayist and fantasy writer, has a skeleton in his closet. To be more precise, an almost 90 year old skeleton with a gun shot wound to the back of its head is found buried in the kitchen garden of Chadleigh''s Bracketts House while the ground is being prepared to build a new museum on the heritage site. What can the trustees of Bracketts House do to clear the good name of the beloved author? How can they keep a nosey American literature professor from discovering the real truth about the literary figure''s past? And, worst of all, how can they keep Bracketts House open another season when their former director, Sheila Cartwright, is shot dead in a pouring rain in front of the building after an emergency trustees'' meeting?

In Murder in the Museum, Simon Brett pens yet another witty Fethering Mystery featuring the very-middle-class, Home Office retiree Carole Seddon and her sensitive, somewhat bohemian neighbor Jude as the sleuths. This time Carole and Jude have a friend along for the ride to help with the literary and historical motives: Jude''s old flame, academician Laurence Hawker. The twists and turns in the plot involve a long lists of suspects and motives along with a house that holds its own share of surprises.

Could the killer be the new director of Bracketts, Gina Locke, who is tired of being pushed around all the time by Sheila? What about Chadleigh''s nephew, Graham Chadleigh-Bewes, who supposedly was to complete a biography of his late uncle before the centenary of his birth but for some dark reason is having difficulties with his task? Is Graham''s aunt, the slightly batty Belinda, as harmless as she appears? What about the ex-con, Mervyn Hunter, who likes to work in the gardens? And would American Marla Teischbaum stop at nothing to dig up the dirt on Esmond Chadleigh in order to complete her own biography first?

As exciting as discovering a hidden Priest''s Hole, fans of Simon Brett will heartily enjoy this cozy whodunit.
Reviewer: Cindy Appel