The Shooting in the Shop: A Fethering Mystery

A murder provides series heroine Carole Seddon a welcome distraction from Christmas, a holiday she's tried to ignore for years, in Brett's delightful 11th cozy set in the English seaside village of Fethering (after 2009's The Poisoning in the Pub). A few days after Carole and best friend Jude do some shopping at Gallimaufry, "the kind of Aladdin's Cave where anything might be discovered," the store burns down. In the ruins firemen discover a woman's charred body. The police later learn that a single bullet, not fire, killed the victim, Polly Le Bonnier, the attractive stepdaughter of Gallimaufry's owner. Once again, Carole and Jude turn sleuths to find out whodunit, with assistance from a cast of credible supporting characters, including Carole's lovable dog, Gulliver. Brett keeps the reader guessing until the surprising conclusion. (Nov.)