A Dead Herring by Helen Golden Series: A Right Royal Cozy Investigation #4
Published by Drew Bradley Press on April 1, 2023
Source: Rachel's Random Resources
Genres: Cozy Mystery
Pages: 315
Format: eBook
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BREAKING NEWS Urshall United FC owner dies at Drew Castle
Details are sketchy at this stage, but it is believed businessman Ben Rhodes (38) was found dead in his bathroom at the king’s Scottish home by his twin brother Max, where the pair were guests at a shooting party hosted by Lord Frederick Astley (39), brother of Lady Beatrice (36). The cause of Mr Rhodes’ death is not known, but he started receiving death threats from football fans after his controversial takeover of the club and had recently employed his own personal security.
How unlucky can a girl get? Is fate playing a cruel trick on her for boorish Detective Chief Inspector Richard Fitzwilliam to be the only person who can get to the snowed-in castle to investigate Ben Rhodes’s death? And with no other external resources available to him, he now needs her, her smart dog, and her best friends’ help to catch the killer. Can they put their issues behind them and work together to find the murderer before the weather improves and the perpetrator is free to leave?
Another page-turning cozy British whodunnit with a hint of humour from author Helen Golden.
I admit to having a fondness for country house mysteries, especially when a winter storm has everyone snowed in. Lady Bea is refurbishing rooms at Drew Castle with her business partner, Perry Juke, while her brother, Lord Fred, is hosting a shooting party, so Bea has to mix her work with helping her brother by playing hostess. Then one of the guests, Ben Rhodes, ends up dead, killed in his bathtub. And it’s just Bea’s luck that DCI Fitzwilliam is the only officer closed enough to get to them through the snow.
I thoroughly enjoyed A Dead Herring, as I have the other three in the series I’ve read. Bea is a wonderful character, smart and persistent. Perry is funny and competent in his own right. I love how he and Simon, his boyfriend/ chef/ former CID officer, help Bea and watch out for her. They make a great trio.
The book moves along quickly with the expected clash and attraction between Bea and Fitzwilliam. And of course, Daisy, Bea’s West Highland white terrier, steals the show.
It’s a fun mystery with fabulous characters.
About Helen Golden
Helen Golden writes British contemporary cozy whodunnits with a hint of humour. She lives in small village in Lincolnshire in the UK with her husband, her step-daughter, two cats, two dogs, sometimes her step-son, and a tortoise.
She used to work in senior management, but after her recent job came to a natural end she had the opportunity to follow her dreams and start writing.
I also like country house mysteries although am very picky about cozy mysteries. Glad this was worth reading – I will keep my eyes open for it.
Constance
I tend to enjoy cozies in general – they tend to be light, don’t take a lot of thought, and I know the characters I like are almost always safe at the end.