MURDER AT TANTON TOWERS

An eccentric 18th-century British home provides the setting for murder.

Tanton Towers, the product of a jumble of architectural styles, is open to the public as the current owners, Max and Alison Farran Pryde, are trying to keep up family tradition while covering the costs of upkeep. Cara Shelley is part of the close-knit, often squabbling staff who help run Tanton; one of the property’s follies is home to her Happy Huffkin Café. When Daphne Hanson is found strangled in the orangery, Cara’s curiosity and instinct to help set her sleuthing. Daphne, whose husband is the accountant for Tanton, was a bit of a drama queen, very nosy and not afraid to step on people’s toes in gathering information for a book about Tanton. Max’s passion is the collection of works by 16th-century artist Lavinia Fontana of Bologna that he houses in La Galleria and displays as part of the house tour. Naturally, he fears that the murder may involve art thieves. Though Cara has a bit of a love-hate relationship with DCI Andrew Mitchem about the proper way to serve huffkins—traditional rolls from Kent—he’s open to her ideas about staff interactions. The house was closed for the day when the murder occurred, and Cara has a hard time picturing any of the prime suspects, the people who work there, as killers. A smugglers’ tunnel and Cara’s discovery of hidden rooms add to the confusion. Her snooping soon makes most of the staff secretly annoyed with her. Could she be in danger as well?

An enjoyable read with a bit of history, a touch of romance, and a tight circle of suspects.