Ellie Quicke and her husband Thomas live in present-day London in a very large old Victorian left to Ellie by her late first husband. Both are nearing retirement age but continue to stay busy; Ellie, with the trust she oversees, left to her by her late husband, and Thomas with the magazine he publishes for the church. He is a semi-retired minister.

Thomas begins receiving letters in the mail with checks left to him by people who have recently passed away and remembered him in their will. The first couple checks are from people he has ministered to through his profession, but then letters and checks come in from people he has never met. Some checks are for just a few hundred pounds, but some are for a few thousand. Thomas does not feel right about keeping the money. After he and Ellie discuss the matter, Ellie sets out to investigate the people leaving the money to Thomas and the circumstances of their deaths. Her investigations lead her to some unusual places and some very unusual people. Just as she begins to uncover some of the dealings, the police are given an anonymous tip that Thomas is killing people off for their money. Can Ellie get to the bottom of this windfall before the police accuse Thomas of murder?

Veronica Heley brings us another delightful murder mystery in MURDER FOR GOOD, her twentieth book in her Ellie Quick Series. Ellie and Thomas are very strong, realistic characters who are compassionate and caring individuals. They are surrounded by an assortment of quirky supporting characters who each have their own agenda. Thomas’ reputation is at stake here, and Ellie has other issues on her plate as well. The story line is a rather unique and imaginative one, with several current themes: affordable housing, public opinion, public corruption, and enabling adult children, to name a few. The plot takes several surprising twists and turns, arriving at a most unexpected conclusion. There’s a lot of tea drinking in this British novel, so grab yourself a ‘cuppa’ and curl up with this charming cozy mystery!

Book Summary