Bones Under the Beach Hut: A Fethering Mystery

In Brett’s delightful 12th Fethering mystery (after 2010’s The Shooting in the Shop), shy, retiring Carole Seddon is dismayed to find that someone has lit a fire under the beach hut that she’s rented from a friend, Philly Rose, in the West Sussex village of Smalting. Even more disturbing is the subsequent discovery of human remains under the beach hut. Suspicion falls on Philly, whose boyfriend recently walked out on her, but Carole and her best friend, Jude, have plenty of other members of the Smalting Beach Hut Association to investigate, including its president, Reginald Flowers, a naval aficionado who never served before the mast; Lionel Oliver, a retired undertaker; and Deborah Wrigley, a wealthy widow with a well-earned reputation for being obnoxious. Cozy fans will enjoy Brett’s usual deft character portrayal and humorous take on the social foibles of England’s upper set. (Nov.)