THE ELUSIVE RELATION

A pedestrian American slant on the English country-house mystery.

Amateur sleuth Emma Winberry has discovered that her late husband has relatives in England who are in trouble. Her significant other, Nate Sandler, thinks the news is the hook for a scam, but when he has an opportunity to travel to France, Emma goes along, and the two of them plan a short trip to England. Arriving at enormous Bellingham House, they meet Lindsey and her sister Isabel, who suffers from a rare disease that’s left her entire body except for her face covered with hair. Lindsey is being pestered by a wealthy American who wants to buy the house, perhaps to hunt for the treasure rumored to be hidden there. Lindsey’s dislikable financial advisor, Avery Wilkens, wants her to sell. Although Emma returns home, her Guardian Angel keeps telling her to help Lindsey. When Isabel is kidnapped, Emma returns to Bellingham House with her young friend Tracie Adams. Then Tracie goes missing as well, and Emma must use her sleuthing ability to discover what’s really going on before it’s too late. Emma’s third (The Stranger in the Opera House, 2009, etc.) is a run-of-the-mill cozy with engaging characters and a weak plot.