IF YOU GO DOWN IN THE WOODS TODAY: A Lennox Kemp Mystery

Mystery fans know there's nothing cozier than curling up with a good murder in the shire, as in Lennox Kemp's 11th case—which is as cozy as a pair of warm slippers on a winter's night. Lennox and his wife, Mary, live in the suburban town of Newton, which has so far escaped the urban ills of London, but the locals are beginning to worry about a teenage gang ostensibly led by a young woman, Lily Egerton, whom respectable people suspect of procuring drugs. So far the gang's "crimes" (as the neighbors see them) have been no more than pranks, but when a girl is found murdered in the gang's den in the woods, the police come after Lily. Lily's a bizarre character who appears to change personalities at will—which leads some to believe she's a genuine case of multiple personalities. But is she a murderer? If not—and there's a very real possibility she might be—she's at least the key to the mystery. British author Meek (Postscript to Murder; This Blessed Plot; Touch and Go; etc.) is a plot magician who knows how to distract the reader from the significant facts until she's ready to reveal their importance. She plays fair with her clues. The astute reader can follow the same process as the detective and arrive at the killer's identity. Smart but never pedantic or pretentious, Meek is certain to please those who appreciate the traditional English police procedural. (July)