A Deadly Walk in Devon
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4.0 • 2 Ratings
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
For fans of M.C. Beaton, Martha Grimes, and Alexander McCall Smith, the first in a charming new mystery series set in the English countryside, as a retired San Diego police detective embarks upon group walking tours in England’s most scenic counties…
Still grieving the death of his long-time partner, Chase reunites with his dear friend and fellow Anglophile Billie Mondreau for a seacoast holiday of historic sightseeing. Assigned a pair of guides from the tour company, Wanderers, Chase and Billie join seven other like-minded Americans looking forward to an English getaway. All except for Ronald Gretz. The wealthy entrepreneur behind the international Golden Sunset nursing home chain doesn’t like anything about walking, touring, or England. Coarse and opinionated, Gretz’s complaints get on the nerves of his fellow Wanderers—and his long-suffering trophy wife.
But Gretz’s gripes are tied to his own nerves being frayed. He has been receiving threatening texts and emails signed “An Avenger.” Convinced someone means him harm, Gretz asks Chase to watch his back. Soon, Gretz falls afoul of several “accidents,” until one final “accident” results in Gretz dead at the bottom of a cliff. While helping the police investigate, Chase discovers that members of the tour group not only disliked the victim but had legitimate motives for wanting him dead. Now, he just has to uncover who among them is willing to kill . . .
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This winning debut and series launch introduces grieving retired police investigator Rick "Chase" Chasen. Six years after the death of his romantic partner, Doug, Chase heads from San Diego to a small coastal town in Devon, England, for a reunion with his old friend, Billie Mondreau. Concerned about the continuing depths of Chase's despair, Billie thinks a tour organized by the Wanderers hiking group might provide a necessary distraction. On the trip, disgruntled Wanderer Ronald Gretz—who's aware of Chase's police background—approaches him for help. Gretz is confident that someone in Devon is trying to kill him, an assertion potentially backed up by a spate of threatening emails and a few disturbing instances of verbal conflict Chase observes on the tour. When Gretz falls off a cliff to his death one foggy afternoon, Chase teams up with Billie and a local detective to investigate various Wanderers. Chase's firm sense of justice and relatable romantic wounds make him a remarkably endearing protagonist. Readers will be eager to strap on their walking shoes for the investigator's next case.