Dorothy Sayers fans may enjoy seeing how closely Dickinson follows the plot of a well-known Lord Peter Wimsey novel in his ninth early 20th-century historical featuring aristocratic English sleuth Lord Francis Powerscourt (after 2009’s Death of a Pilgrim
), not one of the better entries in an uneven series. A wedding-day tragedy in Norfolk results in Powerscourt’s being retained by the defense attorney representing a man arrested for murder. The prosecution case appears clear-cut—Cosmo Colville was found sitting in a chair, holding a gun, a few feet away from the bleeding body of his older brother, Randolph, the father of the groom. Cosmo’s refusal to speak about what happened leads to speculation he’s shielding another family member. The uphill investigation plunges Powerscourt into the world of wine selling, the Colville family business. At the resolution, some readers may feel the author has unfairly withheld an important clue to the killer’s identity. (Mar.)
