Murder in the Park

Feisty widow Ellie Quicke has a lot to worry about in the delightful ninth entry in Heley's contemporary cozy series set in a nameless town outside London (Murder of Identity , etc.). A vicious dog fatally mauls a woman in the local park; Ellie's “dreadful daughter,” Diana, is conniving to inherit the fortune of Ellie's dying aunt, Drusilla; and Thomas, her dear friend and rector, announces he's leaving the parish. As her life falls apart, Ellie tries to focus on the search for the dog's owner, who incites the animal to further attacks. While the reader learns the culprit's identity early on, the author's loving depiction of life in a small English town, with its inhabitants both virtuous and villainous, will please Anglophiles. Longtime fans will cheer the heartwarming conclusion. (Mar.)