To Die For

Crown Prince Gregory von Hirtenstein, aka classical music event organizer Greg Crowne, escorts lovely Polish countess Marzelina Zalfeda to a charity ball at the start of British author Barclay's solid fifth book to feature the exiled aristocrat (after 2005's A Final Discord ). Marzelina is in London with a commission to purchase a purported Chopin letter for an eccentric elderly lady, Estelle Wiaroz. When Marzelina's strangled body is found in the research stacks at the Museum of Musical Heritage, the Metropolitan Police, familiar with Greg's sleuthing abilities, ask him to help find her killer. En route to Paris to interview Madame Wiaroz, he bumps into a former lover, fashion designer Liz Blair, who decides to accompany him on his investigation. With few clues to guide them, the charming couple leave no page unturned and no village unvisited in their search for the culprit. (Aug.)