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.