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| The tension between wealthy families and hard-working townies in a coastal Maine community animates Healy's fiercely witty debut. In 1964, caustic, book-obsessed 26-year-old Wilhelmina "Billie" McCadie is living with her grandparents, working in a dress shop, and applying unsuccessfully for faraway museum jobs. She's startled--then intrigued--when she receives a letter addressed to her PO box that includes a passionate plea for forgiveness from a man named Edgar to his lover, Gertrude, along with a rose-gold engagement ring. More shocks come when the handsome heir to a local shipping dynasty invites Billie to a summer solstice party at his family's cottage. Billie accepts, but once she's there, she stumbles on a murder victim in the parlor--whose name turns out to be Gertrude. Billie becomes hell-bent on solving the crime, constructing an etiquette guide along the way to help her mix with the upper crust, often wondering how Jane Austen and other manner-conscious writers would handle corpses, stalkings, and police interviews. While the pace of the investigation is somewhat bumpy, the sparkling dialogue, copious twists, and evocative details of midcentury New England make this an impressive first effort. A sequel would be welcome. Agent: Daisy Chandley, Peters Fraser and Dunlop. (July) |
