A Rather Peculiar Poisoning

Schleyer debuts with a delightful historical whodunit. In 1910, wealthy twins Easton and Weston Asquith have gathered at a manor on England’s Lammore Lake to celebrate their respective engagements. Conniving heir Easton is now with his brother’s former love, Eloise Sutcliffe, while Weston has resigned himself to marrying the plain but wealthy Della Drewitt. During the week’s festivities, someone attempts to poison Weston, kicking off a series of increasingly bold attempts on his life. Though Della isn’t exactly in love with her fiancé, she’s keen enough to infer that taking the Asquith family name might put her in danger, so she starts snooping around the party for suspects. As she and other guests wind their way through the manor house, finding hidden hallways and ferreting out secrets, bodies start to pile up, and a wicked manipulation plot emerges. Schleyer toggles perspectives and tosses out clues with aplomb, making each of her main characters surprisingly three-dimensional and well worth spending time with. Add in a convoluted—but never incomprehensible—whodunit plot that will stump even seasoned genre readers, and this works on every level. Agent: Sophie Cudd, Book Group. (Sept.)