Die Happy

In Gregson’s amiable 24th police procedural set in Gloucestershire (after 2010’s In Vino Veritas), an embarrassment of suspects confronts Chief Supt. John Lambert and Det. Sgt. Bert Hook as they probe the source of death threats being sent to organizers of the Oldford Literary Festival—a group that includes Lambert’s wife. Lambert and Hook soon discover that for a passel of outwardly upstanding citizens, among them formidable retired civil servant Marjorie Dooks, promising poet Sam Hilton, and popular detective novelist Sue Charles, a surprising number have something unsavory to hide. But apparently none more so than pompous, self-styled cultural arbiter Peter Preston, who in addition to raising the hackles of almost everyone he encounters, even the usually unflappable Lambert, also has a dangerous hobby—delving into his neighbors’ dirty secrets. As the case escalates, so do the revelations. Unfortunately, despite the rich array of motives for murder, the eventual culprit proves less than convincing. (Dec.)