BODY OF OPINION

by Susannah Stacey ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 1, 1989

A droll, convoluted, clever village mystery for emerging-from-his-grief widower Supt. Bone--who's now called to rock star Ken Cryer's all-night party to investigate the murder of beautiful guest Alix Hamilton. Among the complications here: she (Alix) turns out to have been a he (Alex Hervey), a nasty home-architecture critic; she/he was shot twice--by different guns; and the Monstrance, a valuable religious relic in the murder room, is missing. Hervey's wife, a party gate-crasher, thinking she has killed his mistress, confesses; then is devastated to learn she's murdered her husband. Or did the other bullet do it? Bone's roster of suspects includes the megastar Archangel, a relative of Hervey's; a disgruntled collector, whose private chapel Hervey trashed in print; and the unknown writer of some deeply tawdry, sexually explicit letters to Alix, which she may have used to blackmail. Furthermore, Dr. Walsh, called to attend Cryer's son during the goings-on, saw something but is called to another case before he can tell--and it is up to sweet, aging psychic Emily Playfair (Goodbye, Nanny Gray) to assist Bone in waylaying the culprit and to smile knowingly at his deepening interest in teacher Grizel Shaw from daughter Cha's school (A Knife at the Opera). Extremely amusing update of the denizens of the village mystery, with first-rate clues, believable red herrings, and a tender touch of romance.

Pub Date: Feb. 1, 1989

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Summit/Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1989

Categories: FICTION