Motive for Murder

When Emily Barton applies for the post of temporary secretary to the writer Matthew Haig, it does not occur to her that she may be putting her life in danger. But from the first she feels a secretive air about the place. Why had her predecessor left so suddenly? And why did innocent comments about swimming provoke such a strong reaction? Kept at a distance by her brusque employer, Emily is grateful for the friendsdhip of Haig’s handsome cousin, Mike, and the companionship of Sarah, his young daughter. Her uneasiness is increased when she discovers that the book they are working on is based on a local murder, so far unsolved, which gives its title, Motive for Murder, a new and threatening significance…From Library JournalGothic underpinnings mark Fraser's most recent title. After Emily Barton takes a temporary post as secretary for a nervous, secretive writer, she learns disturbing things about the previous secretary, the swimming pool, and an unsolved local murder. Solid work.Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. From BooklistIn this pleasing, if slightly predictable mystery, Emily Barton goes off to Cornwall to work as a secretary for well-known writer Matthew Haig, who is finishing Motive for Murder. Emily comes to learn that her predecessor drowned and that what at first seemed a tragic accident clearly was not. Haig's estranged wife also dies in a car accident, and Emily's beau, a cousin of Haig's, starts dropping hints that perhaps Matthew had a motive for murder. Even the occasional mystery reader will realize who the real killer is long before Emily figures it out, but Fraser's writing is sure, and her characters are well drawn. Solid genre fare for those who like their murders served in the chill of the British countryside. Ilene Cooper