August 3, 2020
At the start of Dakin’s soothing sequel to 2019’s Hazards in Hampshire, Claire Barclay, the owner of British Mystery Book Tours, receives a visit one morning from her neighbor, publisher Patrick Stonning, who has discovered bestselling thriller writer Oliver Nott dead in the publisher’s back garden. Patrick asks Claire to phone the police, since she’s friends with Det. Insp. Mark Evans of the Hampshire Constabulary. After making the call, Claire has no time to get involved as she’s due to lead a group of loquacious clients to Cornwall, where Ellis Peters, Daphne Du Maurier, John Creasey, and other authors set some of their novels. Nott’s upcoming book is also set in Cornwall, so Claire’s path crosses with Mark’s investigation. Her tourists, too, are eager to join in the speculation as to who murdered Nott. Little sleuthing occurs amid the loving descriptions of the Cornish countryside and accounts of restaurant, pub, and breakfast meals. Armchair travelers and British mystery buffs will enjoy the tour.