Bones in High Places

Hill's delightful fourth 1950s clerical mystery (after 2009's Bone Idle) takes the Rev. Francis Oughterard, canon of St. Botolph's in Molehill, Surrey, to the Auvergne in the south of France, where he has inherited a villa from Elizabeth Fotherington, the annoying woman he murdered outside his vicarage in 2007's A Load of Old Bones. Accompanying Francis is his sister, Primrose, and his unscrupulous friend, Nicholas Ingaza, who provided him with an alibi that got him off the hook for Mrs. Fotherington's murder and who believes the villa may contain Nazi gold. To Francis's astonishment, his dog, Bouncer, and his cat, Maurice, for whom he made arrangements back in England, also turn up in France, where they all become involved in yet another comic and dangerous romp. Evocative descriptions of the French countryside, an intriguing puzzle, and a host of lively characters will leave series fans and newcomers alike eager for the next installment. (Aug.)