And Then There Was The One
After solving four murders in the past year in the sleepy Cotswold village of Buncombe-upon-Wooly, Georgina “Georgie” Radcliffe is not thrilled when the healthy chairman of the village council dies of a sudden heart attack. With the police unwilling to view the case as a potential homicide, Georgie decides to call for reinforcements and invites noted London detective Delacey Fitzgibbons to help. Unfortunately, Fitzgibbons is not interested, and instead sends his secretary—the handsome, debonair, and rather too charming Sebastian Fletcher-Ford. Together, the two embark on their investigation fortified with plenty of tea, scones, and a penchant for sniffing out—and getting into—trouble. As they home in on the truth, Georgie and Sebastian must take care not to let their growing feelings for each other overshadow their goal: to find the killer.
Though the pacing is somewhat slow and Georgie’s overwrought irritation with Sebastian borders on annoying, the book’s wit and charm more than make up for it. Waters’ writing is reminiscent of some of the best British authors of interwar detective fiction such as Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers. In short, it is wonderfully English. Waters’ strength is in developing well-rounded characters and a vivid, colorful setting, fully immersing the reader in 1930s England. This is one of those cozy mysteries with a dash of romance that readers will thoroughly enjoy.
