How does a concert cellist keep getting involved with
criminal investigations? Well, leave it to cellist Sara
Selkirk to do so. Upon finishing a concert tour, she's been
asked to work with well-known Herve Petrescu on a new
arrangement, and she reluctantly agrees. Her agent insists
that he stay at her house, but after many negotiations,
Sara arranges for him to stay at her friends James and
Tom's apartment while they're away. How was she to know
that their neighbor, Miss Bevan, would die from an
explosive package? Who would want to hurt this woman whose
only crime seemed to be being too nosey and judgmental
towards her neighbors? With the package destroyed, no one
seems to know where it came from, or if it was even meant
for her. So, this is how a cellist gets involved in
criminal investigations.
This investigation also brings Sara and Detective Chief
Inspector Andrew Poole together again. He's remained
married in name only for his children's sake, but his love
is only for Sara. In the meantime, his wife Valerie has
joined the Circus Opera Group and enlists him to play his
cello. The group is made up of an eclectic array of
individuals who happen to have more desire than talent,
except of course for Andrew.
First, there's Helene, once an opera hopeful, and her
daughter, Adele, who happens to have an angelic voice, but
autism has robbed her of the understanding of the greatness
of her talent. Also included in the membership is Phil, a
friend of Helene's and the owner of the shop where Adele
works. Adding to the list is Jim, who took the advice of
his college advisor and joined for the purpose of meeting
new people. And no group is ever made complete without an
odd couple. Fulfilling this mission are Cosmo, the hopeful
composer, along with his sometimes stable, yet on the verge
of going over the edge, girlfriend Poppy. During the
investigation of the first explosion, another one occurs at
Phil's shop. Are the crimes connected? The different paths
that Andrew and Sara take involve animal rights, music
fraud and the strange mutterings from Adele, which once
understood uncover a very manipulative crime of passion.
Morag Joss takes us once again through the seamy and
elegant parts of Bath. The proud historic structures rich
in history are strung throughout this story like the
strings of a cello. The characters are so well-defined that
they come alive and remain in your thoughts long after the
final page. Like in FUNERAL MUSIC, the culprit is not
revealed until the end. The Sara Selkirk Mysteries are
skillfully written and filled with suspense, humor and
romance. I eagerly await the next installment.
IN A CITY OF BEAUTY AND HISTORY, A LITTLE NIGHT MURDER IS
BEING COMPOSED…
For world-class musicians, Bath is no mecca. But to cellist
Sara Selkirk it is home, now invaded by an unbearably sexy
Czech composer and his unheralded protégée, who is scoring
an opera for a local company. Between the notorious
composer and his untried student, Sara does not expect
great music. Nor, however, does she expect murder….
With Sara caught up in a stormy relationship with a music-
loving and very married police officer, she is privy to the
investigation into the first killing. The next victim she
knows personally, and Sara is sure of a connection. Alas,
someone has composed a perfect score for murder. And she
who can detect its melody first–will be the next to die….