THE DEADLIEST LEGACY

A clever killer ruins a bucolic English book festival.

DCI David Vogel is called away from a pleasant Sunday lunch with his wife, Mary, and daughter, Rosamund, to investigate a possible murder at the nearby Appledore Book Festival. Having succinctly set the table for the mystery to come, Bonner rolls the clock back three days to introduce the large cast and give armchair detectives a head start. At the center is renowned romance author Delia Day, the star attraction, who regrets her decision to attend a festival in drab North Devon. She dreads the scheduled “In Conversation” session with her recent collaborator, unpleasant screenwriter James Harding, and plenty of the other characters circling Delia at the festival would make good murder suspects, too. There’s something familiar about imperious, elderly Amelia Bowden, who greets Delia with an insult. Amelia’s awkward great-nephew William seems a bit off. Delia’s driver, Michael, trapped in a loveless marriage, is engaged in unspecified secret activities. Delia’s twin superfans, Tina and Tilly Tucker, veer perilously close to stalking their idol. Birdlike festival director Carolyne Smedley is hard to read. Mayor Jeremy Roberts is imposing, though not as imposing as George and Felicity Smythe, who write crime novels together. An anonymous message threatening Delia in all caps puts her on guard. A second underscores the threat. So it’s quite a surprise when someone who isn’t Delia falls dead during an onstage interview with her. Enter Vogel, who methodically interrogates the suspects, progressively recreates the crime, and confidently identifies the killer. Bonner’s literary backdrop provides ample opportunity for some gentle teasing of the bookish.

A delightful whodunit told with brisk aplomb.