Whisper the Dead: An Alex Duggins Mystery

In British author Cameron’s solid fifth Alex Duggins mystery (after 2017’s Lies that Bind), Alex, the owner of the Black Dog pub in Folly-on-Weir, decides to take a look at a new housing development that’s creating a lot of gossip in the Cotswolds village. She arrives to find the construction site trailer ablaze and a man in flames—who turns out to be Bob Hill, the developer of the project. Her quick thinking saves Bob’s life, but the charred remains of another man are discovered in the trailer. After a second death occurs, Alex gets caught up in a web of lies and intrigue with roots in her own past. Newcomers should be prepared for a mix that is three parts soap opera to one part mystery, a blend sure to satisfy established fans, for whom other matters—whether the new breakfast cook at the Black Dog will work out and whether Alex and the local veterinarian, Tony Harrison, will take their romance a tiny step forward—are as important as whodunit. Agent: Liza Dawson, Liza Dawson Associates. (Apr.)