Downward Facing Death

In this uneven series launch from British author Kelly (When I Wasn’t Watching), Keeley Carpenter, a yoga teacher, decides to reopen her late father’s butcher shop as a vegetarian cafe in Belfrey, Derbyshire, where she grew up. An arson attack leads to the discovery of the body of unpopular Terry Smith, whose head was bashed in, on the future cafe’s second floor. To complicate matters, Det. Constable Ben Taylor, the investigating officer, was once Keeley’s secret crush, and her former quasi friend, Raquel Philips, has become meaner and more menacing over the years. The pacing suffers when Keeley spends a lot more time wondering who did what than in getting her business up and running. Though the murderer’s identity remains a mystery until the end, the romance between Keeley and Ben presents no surprises: “She was a modern woman after all, even if deep down part of her yearned for the full-on Disney romance.” Still, most cozy fans should be satisfied. [em]Agent: Isabel Atherton, Creative Artists (U.K.). (Jan.) [/em]