Drew Farthering is just recovering from the deaths in his family. Now a series of strange mysteries are plaguing the village of Farthering St. John. Drew is madly in love and hoping to persuade Madeline to marry him when the murders start.

Since the first victim is his lawyer with whom he has an appointment, Drew finds the first victim. Given his history with the police, Inspector Birdsong strongly urges Drew not to get involved. When the victims keep turning up with strange quotes pinned to their chests and one of the suspects is his dear friend, Bunny, Drew and Nick, will be called on to aid the police in their investigation.

With little forensic evidence, the lack of productive clues has the police fumbling around trying to discover what the quotes mean and how the victims are linked.

Drew is a charming young man who hides his intelligence, his strength of character, and his strong morals behind his urbane banter. He is first asked to look into the death by his solicitor's wife since she is convinced that he would never cheat on her. When Bunny is arrested, Drew works much harder to find the real killer.

While he is working to convince Madeline to stay in England with him, he has to contend with her aunt's unexpected arrival from the United States and her determination to take Madeline home.

This was my first exposure to the Drew Farthering series but it won't be the last. Drew is an easy man to fall in love with. Ms. Deering has written a complicated, convoluted mystery which will leave the reader guessing at every turn. Even the subtle clues point to someone innocent and there is a sense of astonishment when the real killer is exposed.

After reading DEATH BY THE BOOK, I went back and picked up the first book in the series. On the surface, Drew seems like any well to do young man whose every wish has been granted. Appearances are deceiving and his recent past has exposed secrets that have shaken him to the core. There is a strong religious thread to the stories but it doesn't distract one from the brilliance of the writing.