Murder Your Darlings

McCrum’s amusing third Francis Meadows mystery (after 2018’s Cruising to Murder) takes British crime writer Francis to Italy, where he has agreed to teach a memoir writing course at an elegant villa in the Umbrian countryside. Among his eight budding memoirists are an Irishman (“such a caricature of the type that Francis would have ruled him out as a ‘realistic character’ ”) and three refined ladies in their 70s. It comes as no surprise that haughty Poppy, one of the septuagenarians who had managed to irritate everyone with her endless reminiscences about her past glories, is eventually found dead. The police arrive, including Commissario Marta Moretti, the officer in charge, who asks Francis to assist in the investigation because of his “experience as a detective.” Francis spends a lot of time running through the possible suspects with the attractive Marta. Readers will have fun, but the flimsy mystery element won’t challenge genre fans. Agent: Jamie Maclean, Coombs Moylett Maclean (U.K.). (Mar.)