Book 6 of the Inspector Lynley Mysteries
While her husband Simon is away on a case with DI Lynley, Deborah St James is in London. She’s struggling with the fact that her doctor has told her not to get pregnant again (she’s had several miscarriages) and when the weather turns, she flees into a museum. When she admires one of Leonardo Da Vinci’s masterpieces, she chats with a man who is also sheltering from the rain. He hands her his card and tells her she’s welcome to visit him in Lancashire.
Simon and Deborah decide to go to the town where the man from the museum, Robin Sage, was the vicar. When they ask the owner of the pub where they are staying about Mr Sage, they learn that he has passed away unexpectedly. They learn that he had been killed accidentally by hemlock poisoning by the town’s herbalist, and Simon calls Lynley to investigate.
Lynley and Helen were about to go on holiday to Greece together, but then Helen picked a fight with him. She went to her own house, and Tommy goes to join the St Johns in Lancashire to figure out whether Robin Sage had been murdered, or whether it had been a terrible accident.
Another excellent instalment in the Inspector Lynley series. Helen and Tommy have finally gotten together, but Helen keeps sabotaging the relationship. The characters in this one are mostly likeable, except maybe the local constable who is in a relationship with the murder suspect.
Read for The 52 Book Club Reading Challenge 2026
Prompt 4: Has a dust jacket
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
