MURDER IN HELL’S CORNER

A father-daughter detective team become involved in an ice-cold case while visiting a hotel in rural Kent.

Georgia Marsh and her father, retired DCI Peter Marsh, specialize in solving and writing up cold cases. At Woodring Manor, Peter, chatting up a group of Spitfire pilots who were billeted there during the Battle of Britain, hears about an unsolved murder from the ’70s: the killing of decorated war hero Patrick Fairfax. The police focused on his squadron mate Matt Jones, the co-owner of Woodring who watched Patrick’s profligate ways bring it close to bankruptcy. On the scene were his old RAF pals plus a group from the nearby airfield where Patrick ran a flying club, but no charges were brought. Georgia gets background information from Patrick’s fellow flyboys; from Jack Hardcastle, who’s written several books on Patrick and the era; and from a director making a movie about Patrick’s exploits. She learns that Patrick was a flamboyant character whose reputation is kept well-polished by the widow who steadfastly ignored his many little bits on the side. When Hardcastle is murdered, Georgia tracks down the mysterious squad member who lives in France and uncovers some nasty cracks in Patrick’s armor, narrowly escaping death before she discovers the shocking truth.

The convoluted tale from veteran Myers (Murder with Majesty, 1999, etc.) keeps you guessing while providing intriguing insights into the Battle of Britain.