Summer Will End: An Elizabeth Will Mystery

Dovekey Beach, N.H., enjoys the revenue from the annual tourist influx, but the natives often can't stand the tourists. During the summer in which this second series entry (Murder Will Out) is set, someone seems intent on sabotaging the tourist season with incidents involving poison, arson and snake bite, among other extreme measures. Could a native have gone berserk, or could unsavory Major Dick Dawley from the neighboring town of Pebble Beach be stretching village competition a bit too far? Elizabeth Will, struggling local artist; her sister, Avis; and good friend Police Chief Ginny Philbrick have some suspicions. Then their childhood friend Martha Drake returns after 15 years with her husband, Eamon, and events begin to hit even closer to home. After Eamon is hospitalized in critical condition following a lobster dinner, Elizabeth is exposed to secrets from the past as well as an undercurrent of hostility in the most unlikely places. Unnerved, she risks local displeasure in order to unmask the culprit. Yeager's characters are delightfully eccentric, especially Elizabeth's crusty lobster fisherman father, Frank, and spinster b&b owner Miss Locke. A disappointing resolution and a large red herring don't well serve Yeager's generally appealing and sometimes distinctive characters. (Dec.)