Death of an Ordinary Guy

The village square is bathed in torchlight. Spectators huddle against the cold this November night, Guy Fawkes Night, in Upper Kingsleigh, England. Shadows encroach at the edge of the square, but faces are turned inward, all eyes focused on the four-hundred-year-old ceremony of the burning of a straw effigy of Guy Fawkes, a symbol of English freedom and national pride. The flaming torch extends to light the straw -- and the villagers recoil in horror. Twisting at the end of the rope is no straw-filled dummy. It’s the corpse of an American tourist. This death ends an uneasy weekend. Friday saw Mischief Night -- an evening of pranks, much like trick-or-treat but without the treat. Saturday followed with the Graveyard Dole, the annual occasion for Talbot, the village odd-jobs man, to vociferously protest the current heir’s eligibility to the financial gift. Unfortunately, Talbot’s rightful claim as lawful beneficiary cannot be proved. As Brenna digs into the convoluted relationships of the villagers, she becomes the target of frightening pranks. An effigy swings from the ceiling of her bedroom; a dead bird appears in her bathroom sink; photos of her with a noose drawn around her neck materialize on her bed. Are these the work of one of her harassing male colleagues, or a deadly warning to leave the case? Not only must Brenna solve this personal mystery while working on the two murders, but she must also sort out her conflicting emotions of trepidation and love for Chief Inspector Graham.