Murder in the Cotswolds - Hardcover

Sheriff Chick Charleston ( Playing Catch-Up ; No Second Wind ) moves his sleuthing talents from a small town in Montana to a village in the Cotswolds. Traveling though Britain with his wife, Geeta, he arrives in Upper Beechwood, where she hopes to trace some of her ancestors. When one of their fellow guests at the inn, Oliver Smith, is found stabbed to death, Charleston agrees to help Chief Inspector Fred Perkins in his investigations. (Perkins, meanwhile, is locked in a power struggle with his superior, Superintendent Hawley.) Suspects are few to start with; but soon there are rumors of some shady business ventures, and facts emerge about Smith's involvement in a disputed inheritance. While Geeta becomes acquainted with the local inhabitants, Charleston and Perkins laboriously sift clues. Though competently written, this is a spiritless ver sion of an English procedural.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

This pleasant entry in the Chick Charleston series finds the Montana sheriff and wife Geeta in England on vacation. While Geeta researches her grandfather's background, Chick becomes embroiled in a village murder investigation: someone stabs an acquaintance of theirs at the local inn. Chick interrogates likely suspects and--with helpful clues from his wife--uncovers the murderer. Limpid prose, tidy plot, and comfy atmosphere with American characters added make this a joy to read.-- REK
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.