An American woman in London after World War II unravels the suspicious circumstances of her husband’s death in this novel.

Texas native Eve Battersby has been wed three times, but her last marriage lasted just a short while. Otis Battersby, the owner of a successful clothing company on London’s Savile Row, collapsed and died at his athletic club from sudden cardiac arrest at the age of 42. Eve stands to inherit a fortune from his death but is puzzled by the unexpected event. She begins to notice that inconsequential items are disappearing from her home, and she thinks she’s being followed. She also finds some curious things that seemingly belonged to Otis: Spanish passports, Swiss bonds, and portrait photographs. Needing to get away from the perceived threat, Eve fills her coat with cash, packs a suitcase, and boards a train to Edinburgh, Scotland. In her compartment, she meets Harry Douglas, a dashing Canadian who used to work in wartime British intelligence but is now a gambler. Eve likes what she sees in Harry (“Tall, lean, eyes as blue as a Texas sky, and remarkably warm hands”). In Edinburgh, Eve learns more about Otis’ true self and realizes the city isn’t the safe haven she had hoped for. As sordid tales from the past emerge, Harry and Eve face mounting threats to their safety as they search for the truth. Turner’s sleek postwar mystery is fast-moving and highly polished, but it does not skimp on historical details. Real historical figures are convincingly woven into the plot as Eve and Harry dig up some of the shadier stories from the period when Nazis were absconding to Spain and Argentina. The suspense runs high in this novel, which has a strong cast, an unrelenting energy, and a consistent devotion to the truth. Some points are repeated, and there isn’t much here about Eve’s background, but there is a promised sequel.

A highly stylized, quick-witted mystery with attractive characters and an effective postwar plot.