Two Truths and a Murder

Phyllida Bright, Agatha Christie’s long-standing housekeeper, close friend, and—with Agatha’s permission—sometime sleuth takes on a local case involving multiple murders. Invited to a dinner party, she’s been asked to help determine whether one of the husbands is guilty of infidelity (he isn’t), but instead observes as the obnoxious Genevra Blastwick, the complete opposite of her shy sister Ethel, forces everyone into playing Two Truths and a Lie, and she herself is quick to claim as one of her truths that she once witnessed a murder. Fact or fiction? In either case, her claim garners her plenty of attention—these days, Genevra would be an influencer of some sort—but it’s not necessarily the attention she wants, as the next morning, reclusive Ethel is discovered to have been run over by an automobile while walking home from the party. Has the murderer killed the wrong sister, “offing” sweet Ethel when they meant to murder big-mouthed Genevra? Set entirely in the countryside, with the supportive Agatha in the background, this novel sees Phyllida taking on an even greater role as an amateur sleuth, with many in the community, especially the service workers, turning to her for help. Add to all this a burgeoning romance that will knock Phyllida and many readers off of their feet, and you have all the makings of one of the best cozies of the year.