Augusta Hawke

Best known for her cozy British series, here Malliet abandons the country vicarages and Oxbridge colleges for Old Town Alexandria, Virginia directly across the Potomac from the District of Columbia, and home to the witty Augusta Hawke. Hawke, herself a mystery author, is a bit of a recluse, a state brought on by the pandemic and the recent death of her husband. Fortunately, her four-story townhouse provides plenty of distractions, including—with a nod to Hitchcock’s “Rear Window”—casually observing the neighbors. So when the Normans, the young couple across the way, go missing, Hawke has plenty to tell the cops, including details of a fight she witnessed between the couple. When their car is found abandoned in a marsh, Hawke decides it’s time to take on the case, so to speak, and heads off to investigate. Perhaps the story has the making of a true-crime bestseller? The pleasure in this book lies in the arch and humorous Augusta, her interior musings as well as her interactions with others, her caustic take on the publishing industry, and the ridiculous situations she gets caught up in. May this be the introduction to many more outings with Augusta.