The Scent of Death

In Rowlands’s low-key 13th mystery featuring Det. Constable Sukey Reynolds (after 2012’s Unnatural Wastage), Sukey and her newly promoted boss, Det. Sgt. Vicky Armstrong, look into the suspicious drowning death of Lance Rainbird at a classical music festival held at Dallington Manor, a country-house hotel near Clevedon in Somerset. Taking charge of the case is newly minted Detective Inspector Rathbone, who drinks endless cups of coffee, delegates most tasks, and has an unfortunate tendency to fixate on one suspect at a time. The unlikable Rainbird, a knowledgeable music expert, had conflicts with a number of his fellow festival attendees. The desultory investigation picks up when another death occurs and reaches a frantic pitch with a third death. Sukey and Vicky try to sort out a tangle of relationships and possible personal and professional motives with little physical evidence. An amiable cast compensates for a shortage of drama and suspense. (Aug.)