Beneath the Soil

Sampson’s sixth mystery featuring English genealogist Suzie Fewings (after 2012’s The Overlooker) proves a rather tepid family affair. Suzie’s husband, Nick; 15-year-old daughter Millie; and 19-year-old son Tom are all drawn into a murder at bucolic Saddlers Wood, where Suzie goes to research a 19th-century ancestor of hers, Richard Day. Soon after reaching Saddlers Wood, they hear a gunshot, then meet farmer Philip Caseley carrying a shotgun. After a tense exchange with Philip, they have a separate, equally awkward conversation with his wife, Eileen, who directs them along a bramble-filled path to the ruined cottage where Richard once lived. Soon afterward, the Fewings learn that Eileen has been shot dead and Philip is being questioned. Revisiting the cottage, Suzie and Tom discover a possible clue—a survey nail—but their interference in the case displeases Chief Det. Insp. Alice Brewer. The plot bogs down into repetition until a family member is endangered, leading to an unsurprising conclusion. [em]Agent: Pollinger Limited (U.K.). (June) [/em]