Dry Bones

September 15, 2012
Even the most upper crust of quiet English villages has its buried corpses. The Colonel has settled into village life at Frog End. He works in his garden, listens to Gilbert and Sullivan and solves the occasional mystery. A cry of distress from his dead wife's friend sends him to the Wiltshire village of King's Mowbray, where Cornelia Heathcote, whose wealthy husband is overseas on business, has been inconvenienced by the discovery of a body buried under the floor of her barn. The Colonel displays both his steel--insisting that she inform the police immediately--and his soft side--staying around to help her deal with the consequences. DCI Rodgers, who's hovering on the brink of retirement, holds little hope of solving the case when all that remains are dry bones. But the ever-curious Colonel, remaining alert to village gossip, helps to identify the victim as Gunilla Bjork, a Swedish beauty who worked at the local pub and tormented many of the men and women in town. Most of them now disclaim any interest in Gunilla, but given the long list of people who may have wished the lady dead, the Colonel has much to ponder as he quietly goes about his sleuthing. The latest sedate adventure for the Colonel (Three Silent Things, 2008, etc.) is a pleasant albeit unexciting stroll through village life, perhaps best suited for determined anglophiles.

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August 1, 2012
Murder doesn't usually mix with whimsical and charming, but all three words fit together fine in describing Mayhew's latest village mystery. The Colonel has moved to Frog's End after the death of his wife to find peace and tranquility. Village life agrees with him, despite the fact that he keeps getting involved in solving murder cases. His latest begins when Cornelia Heathcote, an old friend of his wife's, begs him to help her because something horrible has happened. Always gallant, the Colonel makes the trip to Cornelia's estate in King's Mowbray. When he arrives, he discovers the something horrible is a body buried in a shallow grave in Cornelia's barn. The medical examiner determines that the victim was murdered. Luckily, the Colonel, who has a knack for getting people to reveal their deepest secrets, uncovers not only the identity of the victim but also the identity of the killer. In fact, the murder plays only a minor role in this enjoyable, heartwarming cozy. It is the courtly, charming Colonel; the gently understated humor; and the pleasing descriptions of British village life that make it such a winning read.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)