Blood Lies: A Dido Hoare Mystery

Dido Hoare needs a vacation. Previous events have left her exhausted and stress-out. Lizzy Waring, an old-friend offers the perfect solution, a visit to the English countryside. Small towns hold secrets, protect their own and outsiders are not admitted to the enclave. Teddy Waring, Lizzy's brother-in-law, returns home after serving time in prison, but when the skeleton of a woman turns up, the police are intent on reopening the ancient crime. Lizzy's father-in-law whose grip on reality is faltering fascinates Dido with his stories of his special book which can save the family from bankruptcy. But where is the personalized edition of "Peter Rabbit?" Marianne MacDonald, picks up the pace of this English cozy with a modern twice to surprise and delight until a London traffic jam is preferable to the quiet of the English countryside. Nash Black, author of "Sins of the Fathers" and "Travelers."

When her friend Lizzy calls for her help, Dido Hoare drops her old book business and heads for the English countryside. Lizzy's brother-in-law is coming home from years served in prison--for killing a woman he mistook for a thief. Worse, Lizzy's father-in-law is gradually losing his memory--and his sanity. With a precious first edition of PETER RABBIT somewhere in the picture, Dido decides to investigate and find out the truth. Although the English village appears peaceful and bucollic, Dido soon learns that crime is not limited to big cities. Stories of prostitution and drug dealing abound. When a long-dead skeleton turns up, Dido decides that two bodies is a little much for just one homocide. Someone has been lying--but Dido can't think of a single motive to justify murder. Even help from the town gossip and from Dido's father doesn't seem able to break through the wall of lies and silence. Author Marianne MacDonald delivers an enjoyable and properly English tale of decaying families and secrets. Dido balances her detecting with raising her young son and worrying about her bookshop--and becomes more human with every page. BLOOD LIES makes for an enjoyable and page-turning mystery.

Normally Dido Hoare is a serene even-tempered individual but the events of the previous winter are still affecting her and now she needs a vacation. When her old friend Lizzy Waring invites her and her infant son to stay with her and her husband in the Village of Alford, Dido jumps at the chance to leave London and her antiquarian bookstore.Alford isn't the bucolic village of her imagination. There is a dark undercurrent rippling under the surface of the pleasant little town personified by the presence of Teddy who was just released from jail after serving five years on a manslaughter conviction. Teddy shot a burglar in his home but didn't offer any defense. The buried bones of a woman who was missing at the same time that Teddy shot the burglar convinces the police to reopen an investigation even as Dido goes into sleuth mode.BLOOD LIES is the story of a family with secrets, many of which they will go to any lengths to see that they stay buried. The heroine is a catalyst who stirs things up and set certain actions in motion. The story line is fast-paced and enjoyable reading for fans of amateur sleuth novels. Marianne MacDonald has written another intriguing installment in her popular cozy series.Harriet Klausner