Deadly Primrose

by Suzette A. Hill

Overview

The unfortunate demise of a local woman while sea bathing at the Birling Gap sends Primrose Oughterard’s sleuthing antennae into overdrive.

Eccentric artist and indomitable amateur sleuth Primrose Oughterard is back in Lewes after her 'Baden-Baden' sojourn, but finds tragedy on her doorstep once again with the news that Elspeth Travers has drowned at sea while bathing at Birling Gap. The unfortunate Mrs Travers met her chilly demise in a black ruched swimming costume and pink floral cap, but Primrose is sure something is afoot. Elspeth hated swimming, and indeed frothy swimming hats – why was she in the water, and was her death really a tragic accident?

With so much incompetence around, Primrose feels compelled to investigate, and soon uncovers secrets, betrayal and nefarious deeds – with the help of her newly acquired pets, Maurice and Bouncer, inherited from her late brother, Francis. But just when Primrose thinks she's solved the mystery, there’s an incredible twist...

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781448304127
Publisher:	Severn House
Publication date:	04/01/2020
Series:	A Francis Oughterard mystery , #7
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
File size:	876 KB

About the Author

A graduate of the universities of Nottingham and Newcastle, Suzette A. Hill taught English literature for many years at Reading College before retiring to Herefordshire.

Editorial Reviews

04/06/2020

In British author Hill’s jaunty seventh mystery set in 1950s Surrey (after 2016’s The Primrose Pursuit), artist Primrose Oughterard, the late vicar’s sister, hears upon returning to Lewes from a refreshing trip abroad that Elspeth Travers drowned in the sea. Primrose is immediately suspicious, because Elspeth was known to go “all green and peculiar” at the mere mention of the word sea. That the deceased was wearing a fanciful pink floral bathing cap—a style Elspeth intensely disliked—is proof positive that her death was no accident. “I intend pursuing this,” Primrose vows. “With so much incompetence about one feels compelled to take the initiative occasionally.” The multiple points of view capture the cadence and vocabulary of English voices, which include dotty upper-class Englishwomen, a plodding police detective, and “the best slippery art dealer on the south coast.” Even Primrose’s pets, Bouncer the dog and Maurice the cat, comment amusingly on the developments in the case. Those in the mood for silly fun will be delighted. Agent: Jane Conway-Gordon, Jane Conway-Gordon (U.K.). (June)

Publishers Weekly

"This leisurely paced mystery includes well-drawn characters, especially the acerbic Primrose and her savvy pets"

Booklist

"This leisurely paced mystery includes well-drawn characters, especially the acerbic Primrose and her savvy pets"

Booklist

2020-03-15
In 1958, an amateur sleuth solves some murders as she conceals others.

Ever since she took in her late brother Francis' clever cat, Maurice, and his cheerfully bumbling dog, Bouncer, Primrose Oughterard has worked hard to cover up his many misdeeds, including murder. Although he died a hero’s death in The Primrose Pursuit (2016), she constantly worries that his past will come back to haunt her. Primrose, who's an artist as well as an amateur detective, often relies on the underworld expertise of Nicholas Ingaza, a shifty gallery owner who knew all her brother’s secrets. Despite his warning, she decides to investigate the odd demise of wealthy Elspeth Travers, who drowned even though she hated swimming and wouldn’t have been caught dead in the froufrou bathing cap she was wearing. Elspeth’s twin sister, Alice Markham, is strangely unmoved by her death. So is Elspeth’s languidly insolent son, Aston. A pistol-packing Alice visits to warn Primrose off Councilman Reginald Bewley, whom she covets for herself; continues on a rant about her ex-husband, who had a raft of mistresses, including her own sister; and then blithely describes how she and a friend murdered her sister before roaring down the drive, hitting a gatepost, and getting shot to death herself. Luckily, Maurice and Bouncer, who have their own narratives and viewpoints, are on hand to rescue Primrose from the misadventures and tricky situations that follow as she stumbles on.

The pets are the stars of this twisty, sardonically humorous adventure.

Kirkus Reviews