Murder by Death

My least favorite of the series so far.  Too long, and most of the story consists of Julia and Brisbane working behind each other's back, keeping secrets and competing to solve the crime - if there is a crime - and this whole competitive couple trope annoys me.

Julia's family accost her and Brisbane at the end of their honeymoon and convince them to go to India to help her sister Portia's ex, Jane, recover after her husband's death and prepare her for impending motherhood.  But Jane suspects her husband was murdered and that his family may not wish her and the new child good health.  Entailment laws: possibly the single greatest boon to historical mystery writers since adultery.

Once again, characters from previous novels make an appearance; it seems no matter where Julia goes, her world remains small.  New characters are introduced and more of Brisbane's less scandalous secrets are revealed.  None of this was necessary to the central plot of this book, but readers may enjoy the karmic justice that is doled out.  As for the introduction of Black Jack, I don't know why the author bothered or what she wanted me to take away from it.

Given all this, I still enjoyed the story and I still lost myself in the characters and the setting.  The mystery was twisty and the conclusion itself, somewhat twisted.  It's not a neat and tidy ending that will leave all readers content, but it will probably leave more than a few surprised; it sure surprised me.  At the end, I was as relieved to be leaving India behind as the characters, and I'm looking forward to being back in London with them for the final full-length book/mystery.