Last year I read Weaver's debut novel Murder at the Brightwell and enjoyed the 1930's setting and the style of writing. Amory Ames is married to the handsome, but insouciant Milo.
In the first novel, Amory is fed up with Milo's penchant for frequent trips and beautiful women. He frequently appears in the gossip columns as a charming playboy, not the loving husband Amory envisioned when they married.
Some reconciliation occurred in the first novel, and Amory is plainly unhappy when Milo appears in the tabloids with a famous French actress, just when Amory is hoping for the best.
Allowing herself the distraction of an investigation for Mrs. Barrington, friend of her mother's, who has had some valuable jewelry stolen, Amory finds the trap they set for the thief turns into something more when Mrs. Barrington's nephew is murdered.
In the meantime, another incident concerning Milo and the actress is publicized, and Amory realizes she must make up her mind about whether or not she wants to remain married.
While Amory is unhappy with the tenor of their marriage, Milo is completely happy married to Amory and has no wish to alter their circumstances. As in the first novel, the two work together to solve the crime, even as Amory considers divorce.
I'm quite sure there is something more serious behind Milo's escapades. I intend to continue reading the novels to find out if what I suspect is true. The third novel should be the clincher--because the tentative nature of the relationship has gone on long enough.
If you enjoy the kind of mystery/crime novel reminiscent of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction, you may enjoy this one. I did.
An ARC from St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books. Thank goodness, I had this one when my Kindle died.
Mystery/Detective Fiction. Oct. 13, 2015. 326 pages.
