A Murderous Marriage

Set in April 1920, Maxwell’s winning fourth Lady and Lady’s Maid mystery (after 2017’s A Devious Death) takes Lady Phoebe Renshaw and her maid, Eva Huntford, to Cowes, on the Isle of Wight, for the marriage of Lady Phoebe’s older sister, Julia, to Viscount Gil Townsend, a wealthy industrialist several decades her senior. The Renshaws hope the alliance, no love match, will improve the family fortunes, which have declined since the Great War. The day after the wedding, Gil disappears, only to be found drowned at the Royal Yacht Squadron. It soon becomes clear that Gil, who had his share of enemies, was pushed into the water—and Julia is a prime suspect. Showing events from the points of view of both the privileged and the servant classes, Maxwell tells her tale well. The action unfolds smoothly until well-disguised clues lead to a clever and satisfying denouement. Downton Abbey fans will have fun. [em]Agent: Evan Marshall, Evan Marshall Agency. (Feb.) [/em]