Search - Village Affairs

this is the second book by cassandra chan. she is a novice but must of written in a past life as these are well written books.
in VILLAGE AFFAIRS it's a small village in the cotswolds, chipping chedding. you follow the clues and the surprize answers.
you have the same list of characters phillip battancourt his girl friend a model marla it's her fault battancourt is in the village as he came with her for a fashion shoot.
the murder happens,mysteries galore, and scotland yard is called, the local police force is not up to the task. battancourts friend is a scotland yard detective and his boss is chief inspector carmichael, who enjoys battancourts hobby of detecting.
a fun read. try and read the first one,but it's not a have to as each book stands on it's own.
I truley hope cassandra chan writes more of these

Scotland Yard Sgt. Jack Gibbons is suffering from a breakup with a woman he'd expected to marry and he's drinking a little too much. He needs a good case to absorb his interest. One appears when his best friend, wealthy Philip Bethacourt goes, with his model girlfriend, into the country for a fashion shoot. Charlie Bingham, a neighbor of his host, dies under suspecious circumstances. Philip can never resist "assisting" Gibbons with his investigations. It is an intriguing case. Charlie lived simply but was really a wealthy inventor. He has one daughter he seldom sees, and a mysterious woman friend no one knows anything about. There are assorted interesting villagers - a vicar madly in love with his beautiful wife, a handsome artist known for his suductions, and other local characters.
It's a lovely modern day classic detective story with moving and intriguing portrayals of the characters. For example, Charlie, the first victim, never appears as a live character in the book, but I felt such sadness as I read about his funeral.
I also enjoyed the previous book, "The Young Widow," that featured these detectives and I'm anxious to get the next one.