by Victoria Tait

a book review by Jackie Houchin

Fake Death is the first book in Victoria Tait’s delightful Dotty Sayers Antique Mystery series (after the prequel novella, Hour Is Come*). It’s set in the English countryside among quaint cottages, farms, and pubs. If you are thinking “Miss Marple” you are not far off.

Dotty Sayers, a 28-year-old military widow, is just beginning to enjoy her new freedom. She loves her stumbled-upon job at an antiques auction house and is quickly learning the ropes. She’s made friends there, as well as with the bungling, female Constable Varma, who loves Dotty’s lunch sandwiches so much she will happily let a few case clues slip out while she’s eating them. In learning to appraise collections of antiques on sight, Dotty meets more people who impact her life in happy and humorous ways. Life is good in the Cotswolds.

However, Dotty is still living in military housing, so she feels obligated – when asked by Colonel Sutherland – to take part in a memorial parade for her late husband and other fallen soldiers. She’s glad when it’s over, but is soon horrified to learn that an unidentified soldier’s body was discovered there. As she helps the police catalogue boxes at the victim’s house, something very strange comes to light. When another body is found, Dottie must put aside her grief and stretch her sleuthing skills to find the killer.

I love Victoria Tait’s writing style. It’s so accessible and entertaining. She keeps the action moving briskly while taking that special time to portray characters that you love and can’t forget. Be sure to look closely at the book’s cover. You’ll see some fun parts of the story. Yep, the cat too!

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Find out how Dotty ended up at the auction house and her first look at a body – in the prequel, Hour Is Come. Get a free download of the book when you sign up for the author’s newsletter. Click here!