Murder at a London Finishing School: A Beryl and Edwina Mystery

The captivating seventh installment in Ellicott’s Beryl and Edwina cozy mystery series (after 2022’s Murder Through the English Post) finds the two friends reluctantly returning to their former finishing school. The school’s headmistress, Miss DuPont, has called upon the ladies’ investigative skills to find out who’s behind the acts of sabotage on the failing school’s grounds. Under the guise of vetting schools for a nonexistent goddaughter, Beryl and Edwina seek to discover why supplies have gone missing and who’s behind the menacing noises regularly scaring students and staff. Things take a more sinister turn when the mother of a student is found dead on campus Beryl and Edwina immediately suspect the husband and some cagey staff members, but there’s also a nagging fear that Miss DuPont herself could be responsible. Revisiting these dynamic characters and their lived-in friendship and fair-play sleuthing is a treat. Fans will relish this sturdy entry in the series. Agent: John Talbot, Talbot Fortune. (Aug.)