THE UNINVITED CORPSE

A rather subdued outing for the author's young London lawyer, Rosa Epton (A Party to Murder, etc.), whose elderly client Vernon Gray has disappeared from his comfortable apartment along with Janet Berry, latest in a long line of housekeeper-companions. What's found in the apartment is a man's body and some enigmatic photos and records that throw little light on Gray's past. Rosa, much involved in the defense of Philip Tresant--accused of theft, heretofore a respected citizen and churchgoer--does what she can to explore Gray's history, with little success. His body is washed ashore days later; and soon after, Janet Berry and her ex-con husband are found and arrested. Through all this, the dead man in Gray's flat remains unidentified. It takes some sharp memories, a nosy neighbor, and Rosa's determined sleuthing to bring past and present together in a rational solution to the puzzle. Quietly absorbing middle-level Underwood, with some nicely done minor characters but this time a slightly colorless Rosa Epton.