The Cozy Mystery List Blog

This is a continuation of my entry from yesterday:

Don’t get me wrong! It’s not like I intentionally don’t answer a site readers request for help. If someone writes and asks me about… let’s say… Camille Minichino’s Gloria Lamerino, Susan Wittig Albert’s China Bayles, or Katherine Hall Page’s Faith Fairchild, I will definitely write back (almost!) immediately. But, as I saw from my post on February 16, it took less than three hours for Barbara to come up with the mystery book author’s mystery identity.

Having said that, Cheryl is asking for help identifying the following author!

“I read this book somewhere between 2005 and 2008 and despite revisiting my local bookstore, cannot find the author or the book, as I would like very much to read more of her work.  I gave the book to my father in law to read (and buy more of her novels)…now it’s gone!
 
Here’s the story, hope you remember it…..
This novel, a mystery, set in England involved an older married couple, (the husband may have been in the publishing business) who decided to retire to the country to a house and lovely garden where an older aunt lived.  (I think the wife’s name was Anne.)  They had a somewhat odd ball loner neighbour who wrote about medieval weaponry etc. a seemingly worthless pursuit that no one knew about, until he was murdered.  Meanwhile, back in London, their daughter (Penny?) was squandering their retirement fund under the guise of “investing” it on their behalf.  In the end, the couples shattered dreams of retirement are saved by the finding of the neighbour’s meticulous records of historical weaponry, which are then published and bring in funds to pay for their retirement.
 
This book was written by an English woman, well written, engrossing to read.  It was punctuated with her dry humour and she made the characters real and likeable, even the shiftless Penny, who you couldn’t help but want things to work out for.  The writing was comparable to a Ruth Rendell or Kate Atkinson, with none of the drama or goriness that ruins many mystery novels. 
 
And, most notably, it took my several days to read it and I couldn’t put it down.
I’m hoping you’ll remember the story line and help me find this writer’s work again.
I too have read all the Agatha’s, Ruth’s, Barbara’s, Sue Grafton’s (she is good)….
Thanks!
Cheryl”

So, if you know the identity of the author Cheryl is describing, please drop us a comment… This author truly sounds like someone a lot of us would be interested in reading!