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False Pretences (Abbott Agency Series #4)

Name: False Pretences (Abbott Agency Series #4)
Author: Veronica Heley
ISBN: 9781780100388

by Veronica Heley

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Overview

Bea Abbot is back - Bea Abbot runs a domestic agency that doesn't 'do' murder. There's nothing sinister about charity-worker Zander's request for her to join him on a visit to his former boss Denzil's widow. But Zander had exposed the financial scam Denzil was running - after which Denzil had, unexpectedly, died. Now the dead man's widow is out for Zander's blood, and the paperwork that proves Denzil's guilt is missing. Denzil's computer could provide the answers, but then another death occurs . . .

About the Author, Veronica Heley

Veronica Heley (www.veronicaheley.com) has published more than fifty books, including crime fiction, historical, and children's titles. She is currently involved in the Ellie Quicke series of crime stories and a variety of other projects. A full-time writer, she has been married to a London probation officer since 1964, and has one musician daughter.

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Editorials

Publishers Weekly

In Heley's engaging fourth Abbot Agency mystery (after 2009's False Step), Bea's young live-in female assistant, Maggie, asks the London detective to help her ex-boyfriend, Zander. Zander feels responsible for the fatal heart attack that felled Denzil, his boss at the charitable Tudor Trust, because it was he, Zander, who discovered Denzil was scamming the organization. Now Zander, who's of mixed race, has to return some personal items to Denzil's bigoted widow, Honoria. A rude, bullying woman, Honoria threatens to sue the trust for the defamation of her husband's character. Oliver, Bea's other young live-in assistant, does a little high-tech digging in quest of the truth, while Bea must try to placate elderly Lord Murchison, a member of the trust's board, who faces ruin if the truth comes out. Heley's cast of intriguing characters from every walk of life will please British cozy fans. (Apr.)

Library Journal

Bea Abbot (False Step) agrees to accompany young friend Zander as he returns the possessions of a dead man to his widow. The errand of mercy turns ugly when the wife, revealing her racist nature, accuses Zander of theft and blames him for her husband's heart attack. Soon the Abbot Agency staff investigates a scan at the Housing Trust where Zander works, while Zander and Oliver, Bea's semiadopted son, find themselves suspects in two murders. VERDICT Heley has created a rich world around Bea Abbot, who has been affected by her husband's death in ways she never expected. Now surrounded by her extended family, she handles everything that life throws at her. The Abbot Agency rates an A++ for creativity and problem-solving ingenuity; this charming and sophisticated series will appeal to readers who enjoy contemporary cozies.