Murder at the Country Club (Miss Underhay #9), by Helena Dixon

 

What do you do when your most likely suspect is found dead in the swimming pool the next day? That is the dilemma facing main character Kitty Underhay and Matt Bryant, her soon to be husband, not to mention the police. Set in what appears to be the late 1930s, solving the murder of Sir. William Winspear is a challenge.  

Was it his much younger, now very rich wife who seems to have no shortage of male admirers? Perhaps the much put-upon Elspeth, the sister William seems to have dominated and treated more as a servant than family? Or another family member, Henry who seems to have had a constant, pressing need for money, always more money? How about dead-in-the-swimming-pool Russian dancer Ivan's sister? They were overheard planning to get their alibis straight, after all? Could she have killed him for reasons unknown? Perhaps one of the servants? One seems absolutely terrified she'll be blamed, after all. Could the reading of the will be a clue? And, oh, never mind. My lips are sealed so you'll just need to read the book for the answers.

I think you'll enjoy it. The pace is more leisurely than I've grown accustomed to of late, true, but the plot moves along steadily and smoothly, including the side stories. I was new to the series but although I found myself wanting to know more about some of the background mentioned, particularly about Kitty's mother, it worked nicely as a standalone. I definitely enjoyed the easy, respectful relationship between Kitty and Matt, who tries to thread the fine line between supporting Kitty's involvement in investigations, after all, he is a PI, while not endangering her. 

Living in this age, we're spoiled by the availability of cell phones, so I found myself having to adjust my thinking a bit when, for instance, instead of staying with the body when she discovered it, Kitty is forced to leave it unguarded to seek help. The fact she owns and drives her own car is also apparently quite daring, hard to believe for those of us who grew up taking it for granted we'd eventually have wheels to take us wherever we wanted, often at speeds our parents wouldn't condone. 

Also, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the side characters such as her grandmother, who runs the Dolphin Hotel, and friends who appear to be both friends and hotel staff, Alice and young Dolly. And, oh, can't forget Bernie, Matt's skittish but lovable dog, apparently basically adopted after the death of a victim in a previous book. Yep, I really, really need to read this entire series. 

Thanks to #NetGalley and #Bookouture for inviting me to visit with Kitty and Matt, sneak some treats to Bernie, and watch them all in action. I'm hoping to see Kitty in her aunt's tiara soon in a wedding!