The October Cabaret

by Erica Quest

American Tess Pennicott goes to England to take over her uncle's antiques shop. At first glance it appears the uncle died from diabetic coma. However Tess soon thinks differently when she discovers insulin in the jacket he was wearing. Tess Pennicott is a very likable heroine. - The Mystery Lover's Companion, Art Bourgeau

356 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1979

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

[Betty · Rating 2 out of 5]

Barely credible story of a young Canadian woman who inherits her uncle's antique shop in London. It takes half the book for her to decide that her uncle was murdered (though it is perfectly obvious to the reader at the outset). This is of the "toss in plenty of red herrings and explain everything at the end" genre of mystery writing.