Murder for Nothing: An Ellie Quicke Mystery

The action of Heley’s enjoyable 18th mystery (after 2016’s Murder in Style) takes place almost entirely around the kitchen table of Ellie’s London home. At the start of the series, Ellie was the widow of an abusive husband; she’s now the wife of a retired clergyman and heads a charity organization that funds good works. Friends, relatives, and troublesome strangers who enter Ellie’s world are typically offered a place to stay, a good hot meal, or—at the very least—a nice cup of tea. Most recently, Ellie has let Angelica, a 21-year-old self-described party girl, have a room in her house. Then the doorbell starts ringing: in come delivery men, drug dealers, murderers, sexy baristas, a handsome money lender, a selfish newlywed, and a suffering policewoman, among many others. Although there is a murder—a body turns up in Ellie’s garden—and assorted other crimes, the most serious offense in Ellie’s world is often a lack of good manners. Heley’s strength is in creating unpleasant people that the reader loves to hate. (Nov.)