Betty Grape has flown to England and ultimately Devon, to visit her old friend's Daughter, Catia. She has promised her mother to check up on her. She finds the cottage is seven miles from town and the nearest neighbor are two brothers living in a caravan in a field. Katia is babysitting the house for a Professor Braithwaite and his wife. On the first day that Betty arrives someone has left a package with a cat collar in a box. While visiting the outside loo she finds a lot of medicine that belongs to the Professor's wife. Her bedroom though, has been cleaned out and is cold and sterile. This will lead to a two-fold mystery.
I found Betty a strong, opinionated, character. She obviously would like to convert the British to American ways and food. I can see that the character could be amusing. Katia has a sad history with a fiance that committed suicide. She is working on a thesis but remains sullen more than friendly. But there is a surprising twist to the Novella. I liked the characters of Peter and Paul and the introduction of a character in Peter that is not mainstream.
The questions throughout the plot threw me out of the story a few times. I felt as though I had no background about Betty's Detective Agency. The premise deep in Devon with a mysterious death looming over it has a lot of promise-but there is an odd, jerky quality to the plot. The heart of the story was the mystery and possible murders but they sizzle out without a definite end. I am rating this three stars.
