The Cost of Living: An Ant & Bea Mystery

British YA author Ward (Numbers) tries her hand at an adult mystery, a series debut, with promising results. Bea Jordan is scared and angry when someone apparently follows her home from Costsave, the supermarket in the town of Kingsleigh where she works as a cashier. Bea is even more upset when customer Emma Crosby, who was two years ahead of her at school, is assaulted. When the body of a coworker turns up in a store locker, she determines to act. Bea makes a list of suspects, including employees and customers of the store. One of the people on the list is Anthony “Ant” Thompson, a store trainee who is suspicious of Bea’s growing friendship with police officer Tom Barnes, but the two gradually become allies. Meanwhile, Bea copes with her housebound mother, Queenie, and Ant struggles with his illiteracy. Together this odd, appealing pair prove a formidable match for the surprising killer. Readers will look forward to their next outing. (Feb.)