Design For Murder

by Erica Quest

Tracy Yorke finds Oliver Medway lying dead on the floor of his studio, and realizes that there's a lot she doesn't know about the residents of Steeple Haslop.

She needs to know more, for instance, about Tim Baxter who arrived at the scene of the crime just minutes after Tracy...or was he there already? And Tim Baxter is suddenly paying a lot of attention to her...

So is Detective Inspector Neil Grant, whose interest may not be purely professional -- and who fears, after a second mysterious death that what Tracy doesn't know could kill her....

Genres: Mystery

184 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 1981

About the author

Nancy Jean Buckingham was born on 10 August 1924 in Bristol, England, UK. In 1949, she married John Sawyer, born on 4 October 1919 in London, England, UK. They formed one of the most popular writting-team marriage. The first books published under her maiden name Nancy Buckingham since 1967, are classical gothic novels. In 1970s, they started to used the pseudonyms: Christina Abbey and Erica Quest. In 1980, they sold her first novels to Silhouette, and they mixed their names to create the penname Nancy John. They also published one novel as Hilary London. The last novels that they published are a popular police series as Erica Quest, protagonized by the Detective Chief Inspector Kate Maddox. Their last novel was released in 1992.

Nancy Jean Buckingham Sawyer was the eighth elected Chairman (1973-1975) of the Romantic Novelists' Association, and is now one of its vice-presidents. John passed away in 1994.

Reviews

[Bev · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tracy Yorke didn't realize what a womanizer her boss Oliver Medway was. And how many enemies he had made. Until the day she stumbled across his body on the floor of the studio where they worked, she just though of him as a brilliant and talented interior designer. But somebody didn't appreciate his talents...and showed it by bashing him over the head with his rather naughty fetish statue. Unthinking, she picks up the statue from where it's fallen and then drops it when Tim Baxter arrives at the scene of the crime right on her heels. But when he wipes her fingerprints from the murder weapon is he really just protecting her? Or was there other evidence on the statue that he's conveniently erased?

Detective Inspector Neil Grant seems awfully suspicious of her story and it doesn't help that an anonymous note arrives at the police station which says:

Whatever she says, Tracy Yorke drove through the village just after half past eleven that day. I ought to know because I saw her with my own eyes. And if she makes out there was nothing between her and Oliver Medway, that's a laugh.

Of course, he's got other suspects in his sights as well. There's Baxter who was suspiciously on the spot. And there's Medways's step-brother who stands to inherit now that Oliver is out of the way. His father and stepmother are also acting most peculiarly. As are a few of his clients. And then there are the mysterious deposits in Medway's bank account which look quite a bit like blackmail payments. All-in-all a lovely set of circumstances for Grant to investigate--and he's not going to let any clues slip past him. When a second death occurs, he's worried that what Tracy doesn't know about her former boss just might make her the third victim.

Design for Murder (1981) by Erica Quest* is a pleasant English village mystery. Tracy is our main character and most of the detective work done by Grant is done off-stage with clues revealed through his interactions with Tracy more than through our following him around as in a police procedural. Not a very intricate puzzle, but good, solid characterization and view of interpersonal relationships. Tracy is a very likeable character who the reader is rooting for throughout. A good book for a rain day (which just happens to be when I read this).

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.

[Andra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Design for Murder is a traditional English murder mystery originally published under the pseudonym Erica Quest with Doubleday's Crime Club in 1981.

Tracy Yorke, moved back home to a little village in the English countryside to nurse her aunt who took her in when her parents died. After her aunt dies, she has the opportunity to remain in the village when she is offered a job in an interior design and decorating studio. One day when Tracy arrives at her workplace, she finds her boss, Oliver Medway, dead.

Tracy becomes a murder suspect and discovers a lot of things she didn't know about Oliver and other village residents. Everyone has something to hide. She also gets involved with an old childhood friend, Tim Baxter who she doesn't know if to trust and helps solve the mystery together with detective inspector Neil Grant, another old friend.

I've rated it 3.5 but not quite 4 stars. It was entertaining and easy to read but I thought it missed the spark.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

My kind of escapism! English cozy, Cotswold ambience, short, sweet AND I figured it out! All's right with my reading world!
Overview: Oliver (interior designer...NOT gay, but flamingly heterosexual!)...is found dead by his business partner, Tracy (heterosexual female.) Plethora of suspects all around: an English vineyard (may have been the most difficult element to believe in the whole book!) landed gentry with secrets and angst, puzzling older woman (by older, mystery books mean 40-ish!) loyal estate steward, vigilant, yet verbose, copper, feisty young woman, all topped off with peaceful and serene Cotswold beauty!

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pleasant English country mystery, including a few red herrings, several drawing rooms, multiple English character types, including a DCI, and a small romance. Nicely done!