Once again, I approached a book club selection with misgivings. Somehow the members have a talent for choosing books that just don't appeal to me. I've missed two monthly meetings, so I was giddy with relief when this novel grabbed me during the first chapter and didn't let me go!
Verity Kent is a war widow. She has been grieving for her husband for over a year when she receives an invitation to an engagement party for the man who stood up with her husband at their wedding. She suspects that the couple are just being polite and would have declined had she not received an anonymous letter. The letter writer insinuates that her husband was a traitor and suggests that more information will be shared at the party.
The festivities are to take place at the groom's castle on an island (of course). There are obvious tensions among the guests, culminating in a murder. The weather turns filthy, keeping everyone indoors. Soon, they realize that the phone lines have been cut and the motor of the yacht that brought the guests is no longer working. The mechanic who might have helped resigned the previous week. Verity's anonymous pen pal needn't have warned her not to trust anyone. She is worried but unwilling to believe the worst of the man she married.
The pace is fast and the clues are not conclusive. Each revelation makes Verity reassess everything that she thinks she knows. The tension is high and it pulled me rapidly along from chapter to chapter. I like Verity as a character as she is very intelligent and brave. Her Secret Service work during the war serves her well as she attempts to learn the truth. She is willing to accept assistance but never shows all her cards. Despite her fondness for Max Westfield, she forces herself to consider him dispassionately as a potential suspect.
I very much enjoyed this mystery and wouldn't mind continuing the series. Several of my reading buddies have told me that the author's Lady Darby series is even better. I intend to check it out too. It is always a pleasure to discover a new author to admire.
