Passing Fancies: A Julia Kydd Mystery

The plot of Benn’s overblown sequel to 2019’s Relative Fortunes centers on the old chestnut of the missing manuscript of a scandalous memoir. Bibliophile Julia Kydd, who has moved from London to New York City, plans on reestablishing Capriole, her private press that specializes in limited editions of illustrated prose poems and the like. At a literary gathering, she’s immediately drawn to beautiful Eva Pruitt, a nightclub performer whose lurid novel, a thinly veiled autobiography, is about to be published, even though no one has seen the entire text. Eva goes missing, as does the manuscript. The first murder arrives after a lot of minutiae about typefaces and precious books—that of Leonard Timson, the owner of the club where Eva works. When suspicion falls on Eva, Julia steps in to help her new friend. A second murder raises the ante. The large cast, whose introduction slows the opening, includes wealthy toffs, struggling writers, and greedy publishers. This sophomore effort falls short of the standard set by its predecessor. Agent: Amanda Jain, BookEnds. (June)