DEATH AT DEARLEY MANOR

5 stars out of 5

Sometimes, good things just drop in your lap. Well, make that drop in your e-mailbox; not long ago came an invitation to read advance copies of two of author Betty Rowland's books featuring Susan "Sukey" Reynolds, a civilian scene-of-crime officer with the County Police Force. Although I've heard of Rowlands, I've not read any of her books (which include a dozen or so "Melissa Craig" mysteries). This one is the second in the "Sukey" series, and the third, Death at Beacon Cottage, was offered as well.

Don't accept the offer, I said to myself. You've got enough on your NetGalley must-read and review list, I said. They're described as cozy mysteries, I said, reminding myself that cozies rarely fail to make me want to smack the foolish heroines upside the head. But in the end, I caved; after all, they're short. Better still, they sounded intriguing. And didn't I have a couple of weeks' respite in between deadlines for the rest of my to-read stack?

Well, I'm here to tell you that my words don't taste very good, but I'll happily eat them. In fact, now that I've finished this one, I'm eager to get started on the next. So much did I enjoy this one that despite my enthusiasm about starting a new book by a favorite big-name author (think: David Baldacci), I may even break my usually hard-and-fast rule of reading only one book at a time and flip back and forth between it and the other by Rowlands (having two Kindles make that easier). 

One thing that swayed my opinion of this book is that it really doesn't come across as a true cozy. No foolish heroine is Sukey, for instance; yes, once in a while she pokes her nose where someone has told her she shouldn't go, but it's because there's no other good option to get something done that really needs done. Better still, despite events that threaten the tentative relationship she has with a police colleague, Jim Castle, there's none of the hand-wringing will he, won't he, should I, shouldn't I claptrap that's the hallmark of most of the cozies I've read.

Sukey's ex-husband, Paul, now is married to the very wealthy business owner Myrna - who's turned out to be a shrew by all accounts of just every family member and employee at the company or the Dearley Manor estate in which she and Paul live. Sukey and Paul's son, Fergus, makes his home with Sukey, but he sees his father regularly. Now that Myrna is openly showing her nasty side, Fergus is concerned that his beleaguered dad might do something drastic. Sure enough, one day Myrna turns up brutally murdered - and it is Sukey, assigned to take photos at Myrna's showplace home after a reported break-in - who discovers the body. As with most spouse murders - and particularly since Paul's animosity toward his wife is well known - Paul becomes suspect No. 1. Fergus doesn't want to believe his dad is responsible, but he's willing to accept the possibility. Sukey, however, knows him well, and she cannot fathom that he's capable of such a dastardly deed.

Little by little, other pieces of the murder puzzle emerge, reinforcing the possibility that someone else is the culprit. Because of the personal relationships, both Sukey and Jim are removed from the case, but that doesn't stop Sukey, at least, from doing some outside digging that unearths clues that the police - who by the way do a commendable job with the investigation on their own - might otherwise have missed.

Everything comes together at the end - along with a few surprises and the promise of a new direction for Sukey in the next book. I'm sure she's looking forward to the possibilities - and by golly, so am I. 

Death at Dearley Manor by Betty Rowlands (Bookouture, May 2019; originally published December 1998); 224 pp.