Black Moonlight

March 15, 2010
Now that she's married her millionaire beau, mystery writer and ace amateur sleuth Marjorie McClelland needs all her skills to free him from a murder charge.

Having escaped the wedding planned by their Ridgebury, Conn. neighbors, Marjorie and Creighton Ashcroft are honeymooning on the high seas. Marjorie's seasickness calls for a change of venue, so when the ship visits Bermuda, Creighton takes his bride to his estranged father's private island. Although the senior Ashcroft reportedly never visits in August, he's not only in residence but is accompanied by his wife and former secretary Griselda, who's not nearly as dumb as she looks; his new secretary, Mr. Miller; his son Edward and his wife Pru; and Pru's friend, the spiritualist Cassandra. The only other inhabitants are Selina, who's worked for Ashcroft for 30 years, and her son George. Ashcroft sets the cat among the pigeons when he announces he has changed his will to favor an undisclosed beneficiary and that George is his son. It's no wonder when Ashcroft is murdered that evening, or when the survivors realize they're all suspects. After a second islander is murdered and Creighton suspected, Marjorie must size up the suspects and find the real killer if she wants to continue her honeymoon.

Despite the murder on a private island, the fourth of Marjorie's amusing pre–World War II adventures (Shadow Waltz, 2008, etc.) is more Nick and Nora than Agatha Christie.

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May 1, 2010
In 1935, honeymooning mystery writer Marjorie McClelland ("Shadow Waltz") and millionaire Creighton Ashcroft join a fatal family reunion in Bermuda. VERDICT Full of tongue-in-cheek humor and witty dialog, this entertaining puzzle will appeal to fans of Carolyn Hart and Agatha Christie.

Copyright 2010 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 5, 2010
Set in 1935, Meade's well-crafted fourth Marjorie McClelland cozy (after 2008's Shadow Waltz
) takes mystery author Marjorie and her new husband, British millionaire Creighton Ashcroft, to the Ashcroft family's private island off Bermuda. The newlyweds expect to have the island's mansion to themselves and two faithful servants, but instead they're met by a bevy of Ashcrofts, including Creighton's father's secretary-turned-wife. Soon after shocking announcements at a most unpleasant family dinner, someone deals Creighton's disagreeable father, who cheated on Creighton's late mother, a fatal blow to the head. Marjorie provides invaluable assistance to the local police investigating her father-in-law's murder, even as her beloved Creighton becomes the prime suspect. With great aplomb, Marjorie ferrets out the truth in a traditional whodunit that boasts nary a dull moment.