That brash young woman called Lee Montgomery is no doubt
marrying Charles Richardson for his money. That’s the
unequivocal conclusion of Sheila Malory’s circle of
friends. Despite their disapproval, Mrs. Malory answers
Charles’s plea for help when his unsuitable fiancée
suddenly goes missing. Mrs. Malory, who is a no-nonsense
English matron with a penchant for marmalade, nineteenth-
century novels, and snooping, considers herself the
quintessential reluctant amateur detective with a
specialty
in murder. Now, she feels chillingly sure that something
dreadful has happened in this quiet seaside village of
Taviscombe. It is her insatiable curiosity, after all,
that leads her to discover the stranger waiting by the
water’s edge—and the shocking truths no one wants to face…