Sharing lodging in the sleepy English village of Walmsley Parva has eased some of the financial strain on the two old school chums, but money is still tight in these lean years following the Great War. All of Beryl's ex-husbands have proven reluctant to part with her alimony, which is most inconvenient.
So when the local vicar--and pigeon-racing club president--approaches them with a private inquiry opportunity, the ladies eagerly accept. There's been a spot of bother: the treasurer has absconded with the club's funds and several prized birds.
Beryl and Edwina hope to flush out the missing man by checking his boardinghouse and place of employment at the coal mine. But when they visit the man's loft, they find their elusive quarry lying in white feathers and a pool of crimson blood, stabbed to death--the only witnesses cooing mournfully.
After a stiff gin fizz, the ladies resume their search for the missing funds and prized birds--and now a murderer. Beryl and Edwina aren't shy about ruffling a few feathers as they home in on their suspects. But they had better find the killer fast, before their sleuthing career is cut short . . . (Summary via Goodreads)
I fell in love with Edwina Davenport and Beryl Helliwell in the first book in Jessica Ellicott's Beryl and Edwina Mystery series, Murder in an English Village and I became a devoted fan after reading the second book in this amazing series, Murder Flies the Coop.
Not only does Ellicott paint a wonderful picture of the friendship between these two old friends but she also provides the reader with a quaint little English village to escape to. In this second installment in this series we are witnesses to Edwina and Beryl deciding to open up their own detecting business seeing as the positive results they had when they solved the case in Murder in an English Village. And seeing as they need to raise money for the upkeep to their home and have money for basic things, it seemed like the best idea yet......and it also seems that things just kind of end up at their door.
Edwina and Beryl are hired by the vicar to look into the disappearance of a member of his pigeon racing club and some money that was in his possession. It wasn't hard for them to find the missing individual and rule that he was murdered however, finding the missing money turns out to be more challenging. And when they are hired to find mssing jewelry that belongs to the wife of the owner of the mining company, things get more exciting for Beryl. Beryl lives for the excitement more than Edwina and that may be why they work so well together...Edwina keeps Beryl centered and grounded more.
Whatever the case is, you can be sure that these two women are more than capable of handling everything it entails. Ellicott will have you turning the pages as fast as your eyes can take in the words and your fingers can turn the pages. You will be thoroughly invested in the story and will love Edwina and Beryl and the way the interact with each other and everyone around them. You will love that Edwina is such a delicate flower and Beryl is a daredevil of a woman and the way they seem to complete each other. I cannot wait for the next adventure these two take......
Review by Missi M.
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