Synopsis
At gloomy Gossinger Hall, where the chill of centuries calls for three sweaters, Sir Henry Gossinger has just dropped a bombshell. After hours of unexplained penance on his knees in the chapel, he has announced to his unwitting relatives that he has announced to his unwitting relatives that he has written a new will...bequeathing everything to his devoted butler, Hutchins. Not since the days of George III, when roguish Sir Rowland Gossinger was accused of stealing the queen's silver tea strainer, has such a scandal threatened the family honor. But worse is yet to come.
For Hutchins is missing, and it soon becomes apparent that the only thing the distinguished butler will inherit is a place in the cemetery. Found head down in the principle fixture of the twelfth-century privy, he may have been the victim of foul play. And what could Hutchins have meant by his dying words, "God save the Queen"?
To Flora, the deceased's sweet young granddaughter, Hutchins' death is a tragic loss. Raised by him in Gossinger Hall, she remembers her grandfather's dedication to the noble Gossingers—including Sir Henry's social climbing wife—and all the stately legends he told her over the silver polish. Only a new life in London, and the kindness of Vivian Gossinger, nephew and former heir to Sir Henry, can ease her pain.
Yet soon Gossinger Hall's history of treachery and intrigue—topped by the ongoing rift with the Royal Family regarding the long-lost tea strainer—casts its shadow over Flora. And suddenly she finds herself caught in a murderously tangled web, where even a familiar face could hide the heart of a cold-blooded killer.
Publishers Weekly
Nothing is what it seems to be in this wickedly amusing mystery from the author of How to Murder the Man of Your Dreams. Whether the action marches along in a stately country home or spins off in the bustling streets of London, there is no letup in the story's wit, charm and intrigue. Flora Hutchins has grown up at once-magnificent, 12th-century Gossinger Hall under the loving care of her grandfather, the meticulous head butler, known for his scrupulous handling of the family silver. But imagine the consternation that ensues when the elderly Sir Henry Gossinger (recently married to the distinctly lower-class Mabel Bowser) announces that he intends to leave Gossinger Hall to this treasured servant. Mabel is moved to nasty thoughts, a cousin is outraged and, when the butler's body is found head-down in a medieval toilet, it sets off a sharply etched chain of events that includes Flora being exiled to London-her flat paid for by Sir Henry and Mabel. Questions abound: Who is the mysterious woman shadowing Flora? What is the importance of a long-missing 18th-century tea strainer? And above all, why was the estate to be left to the butler? Flora and Vivian, Sir Henry's seemingly worthless nephew, seek solutions and form an endearing bond. Cannell sorts through all ancient and modern enigmas, fashioning a sterling cast for a royal romp. (Jan.)