A Distant Voice by Matthew Costello
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Barbara’s Rating: 5 of 5 Stars
Series: Mydworth Mysteries #9
Publication Date: 7/30/21
Period: Intra-war – Mydworth – ~ 1917-1919

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is a well-written, fast-paced, well-done mystery, and the characters are well-developed and likable. You’ll know who the charlatan is right from the start, but you won’t know the why or the how until the end. When you add in the wonderful descriptions of the small village of Mydworth and its citizens, you’ll feel as if you are right there with Kat and Sir Harry every step of the way.

Alice Wetherby seems to be someone who was just waiting to be exploited in some way. She is easily led and fairly easily deceived. So, when Bellamy Smythe facilitated her ‘speaking’ to her deceased father, she was a bit skeptical, but soon believed it – hook, line, and sinker. She is poor as a church mouse, so Bellamy wouldn’t have any reason to ‘con’ her or deceive her. Would he? Surely not. No, her home, the Grange, is rotting down around her – if she had money, she’d at least rid the house of the cobwebs, spiders, and mice.

Kat Reilly, Lady Mortimer, and Sir Harry Mortimer are former ‘operatives’ for their respective governments — Kat for the United States, and Sir Harry for Great Britain. Since their marriage and ‘retirement’ from the government, they have been living in Sir Harry’s home village of Mydworth. New Yorker Kat wasn’t sure how she’d adjust to small-town life, but she’s loving it so far, and now they’ve been asked by a friend to assure that Bellamy Smythe isn’t out to defraud Alice.

Kat and Harry begin to investigate and quickly learn Bellamy has pulled some shenanigans, but knowing it and proving it are two different things. They don’t just want Bellamy, they want to discover how he is getting his information about his marks. There must be more than just Bellamy involved, but they’ll have a devil of a time discovering who is discovering and passing on such personal information.

Once the mystery is solved – and the culprits identified – will Kat and Harry be able to save Alice? Will they even be able to save themselves? You’ll just have to read this entertaining book to find the answers.

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