The dead ringer
Beaton, M. C.
Genre:
The idyllic Cotswolds village of Thirk Magna is best known for the medieval church of St. Ethelred and its bells
which are the pride and glory of the whole community. As the bell-ringers get ready for the visit of the dashing Bishop Peter Salver-Hinkley
the whole village is thrown into a frenzy. Meanwhile
Agatha convinces one of the bell-ringers
the charming lawyer Julian Brody
to hire her to investigate the mystery of the Bishop's ex-fiancee: a local heiress
Jennifer Toynby
who went missing years ago and whose body was never found ... Meanwhile
the bodies in the village just keep on piling up: The corpse of Larry Jensen
a local policeman
is discovered in the crypt. Millicent Dupin
one of a pair of bell-ringing identical twins
is murdered near the church. And Terry Fletcher
a journalist and (briefly) Agatha's lover
is found dead in her sitting room! Agatha widens her investigation and very soon her main suspect is the handsome Bishop himself. But could he really be behind this series of violent killings
or is it someone who wants to bring him-and his reputation-down?
Target Readership: