A House Divided

Set in 1861 England, Cutler’s solid if unspectacular fourth whodunit featuring husband-and-wife Matthew and Harriet Rowsley (after 2021’s Death’s Long Shadow) finds the couple with mixed feelings about having accepted an invitation to visit Clunston Park, the home of a well-to-do cousin of Matthew’s that he isn’t close to. Harriet, a former housekeeper who’s risen in the world, fears the disapprobation of the snobby guests she expects to be in attendance. Her expectations are met, and she’s even chastised for interfering with a cricket match after making a diving catch of a ball that was about to hit several infants playing near the cricket pitch. The stakes rise after flooding cuts off Clunston Park from the outside world, and one of the guests, whose jewels have gone missing, is found throttled to death. Though the Rowsleys instantly dismiss the notion that the victim’s young maid is guilty, they have a plethora of suspects and motives to sort through. A second death ups the ante. Cutler is better at creating sympathetic leads, particularly Harriet, a sexual violence survivor, than in resolving the murder mystery. Fans of other married sleuths, such as Anne Perry’s Charlotte and Thomas Pitt, may want to check this out. (Nov.)