[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Minotaur Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
Summary
Lucy Lancaster, genealogist, is preparing the last details on her research regarding the Sutton family. Her client, Pippa Sutton, is the last descendant of the wealthy family to carry the name. She’s called all of her distant relatives out to help Lucy with her project. Now, days before New Year’s, Lucy is going to complete her final interviews, present her findings, and enjoy a “vacation” of sorts at the Hotel Sutton.
While at the hotel, a sickly man stumbles into Lucy and passes her a Mont Blanc pen and a secret message before he dies.
Lucy contacts her grandfather, a collector, about the pen, and he tells her a startling story. He knew the dead man. And the pen was a clue about a secret mission Lucy’s grandfather was part of in WWII – when he was a spy.
Lucy barely has time to take in this surprising information before other people start to die. Are the deaths around Hotel Sutton connected to the WWII mission and the pen? Or has Lucy stumbled onto two mysteries at once?
Review
This is just as exceptional as the first book in the series, Murder Once Removed. The storytelling and the mystery are fantastic. I love the characters and the intricacy of the story. I was even able to puzzle out the killer, which is always so satisfying.
Lucy’s office mates/best friends and her FBI fella are not featured as prominently in this book, which was sad. I missed them. But their involvement was logical based on the story, so I can’t complain. The book was just as strong with them in the background as the first book was when they were more central. But I have high hopes for them to have a higher involvement in book 3.
Lucy is a fantastic protagonist. She’s so smart. She really knows her stuff with genealogy, but she never makes it too stuffy or too “inside” for those who only have a passing understanding. Everything in the book is well explained, and I never feel like I don’t know what is going on. The historic pieces of this particular book are also well explained – and fascinating!
If you missed book one, it is now available in mass market paperback (my favorite format). Do not skip it! I don’t think you have to have read it to understand this one, but it is just too good for mystery fans to miss it. Cozy mystery fans should be sure this series is at the top of their TBR lists.