Death at the Wychbourne Follies

In Myers’s buoyantly amusing sequel to 2017’s Dancing with Death, Escoffier-trained chef Nell Drury muses: “In this year of 1926, the war had been over for seven years, but how did one calculate ‘over’?” The survivors are still suffering from physical and emotional wounds. Lady Ansley, Nell’s employer and a performer at London’s Gaiety Theatre in her youth, has invited a group of her fellow artistes to her stately home in Kent, Wychbourne Court, for a reunion. Her son sees an opportunity to contribute to war veterans’ charities by organizing a show featuring the assembled guests. Over dinner, expertly planned and prepared by Nell, conversation goes swimmingly until someone asks whatever happened to Mary Ann Darling, a Gaiety actress who disappeared some 30 years ago. That simple query ignites long-buried passions, which result in murder and the unmasking of long-hidden crimes. Nell, assisted by Insp. Alexander Melbray of Scotland Yard, investigates the colorful suspects and overlapping misdeeds. Myers balances the fun with acute observations on the aftereffects of WWI. Historical fans will be pleased. Agent: Sara Keane, Keane Kataria Literary (U.K.). (Mar.)