Shadows of Death

by Jeanne M. Dams, Kate Reading (Read by)

Overview

Dorothy Martin and her husband, retired Chief Constable Alan Nesbitt, go on a trip to Orkney in Scotland to visit an old friend and see some intriguing Stone Age excavations. They realize there’s considerable dissension between the archaeologists and the principal donor for the newest dig, a wealthy and abrasive American.

When a more recent corpse is found at the dig, various suspects are named, but there’s not enough evidence to bring a case against anyone. Dorothy, always sensitive to atmosphere and the undercurrent of tension pervading the project, has become fascinated by the strong aura of the ancient past that pervades Orkney, and she and Alan launch an unofficial investigation into the murder.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798212019354
Publisher:	Blackstone Publishing
Publication date:	05/09/2023
Series:	The Dorothy Martin Mysteries , #14
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 5.70(h) x (d)

About the Author

Jeanne M. Dams is the author of the popular Dorothy Martin mystery series and an Agatha Award winner. She was born in South Bend, Indiana, and has lived there for almost all of her life. She is the writer of The Body in the Transept, Trouble in Town Hall, Holy Terror in the Hebrides, Malice in Miniature, The Victim in Victoria Station, Killing Cassidy, and many more.

Kate Reading is the recipient of multiple AudioFile Earphones Awards and has been named by AudioFile magazine as a “Voice of the Century,” as well as the Best Voice in Science Fiction & Fantasy in 2008 and 2009 and Best Voice in Biography & Culture in 2010. She has narrated works by such authors as Jane Austen, Robert Jordan, Edith Wharton, and Sophie Kinsella. Reading has performed at numerous theaters in Washington D.C. and received a Helen Hayes Award for her performance in Aunt Dan and Lemon. AudioFile magazine reports that, "With subtle control of characters and sense of pacing, Kate’s performances are a consistent pleasure."

Editorial Reviews

11/18/2013
Orkney, the group of islands just off the north Scottish coast, provides the setting for Dams’s enticing 14th Dorothy Martin mystery (after 2013s Murder at the Castle). While on holiday, Dorothy and her husband, retired chief constable Alan Nesbitt, attend the annual meeting of the Friends of Ancient Orkney. When flashy American Henry J. Carter, the sole funder of an excavation on one of the more remote islands, announces that he expects to unearth and sell Viking gold, Dorothy and Alan Nesbitt realize he has rubbed the archeologists and locals the wrong way. Less than 24 hours later, Carter turns up dead at the dig. An otherwise engaged police force allows Alan and Dorothy to poke around for answers, but scant evidence leads to no clear perpetrator and some false trails. Amid ample historical lore and gorgeous descriptions of scenery, Dorothy uses her amateur investigating skills to arrive at a clever solution. Agent: Kimberley Cameron, Kimberley Cameron Agency. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

Another solid mystery anchored by a pair of likable protagonists and a supporting cast of characters who would feel right at home in an Agatha Christie mystery."

Booklist

Dams’s enticing 14th Dorothy Martin mystery”
Publishers Weekly on Shadows of Death

“Another solid mystery anchored by a pair of likable protagonists and a supporting cast of characters who would feel right at home in an Agatha Christie mystery. "
Booklist on Shadows of Death

"Another solid mystery"
Kirkus Reviews on Shadows of Death

From the Publisher

2013-11-26
Welcome to the Orkney Islands, home to Stone Age excavations and a very modern murderer. Retired Chief Constable Alan Nesbitt, his wife, Dorothy Martin, and their dog, Watson, arrive in Orkney in style. When their own car breaks down, they hire a plane and then a car to take them to the vacation apartment their potter friend Andrew has found for them. A recent Neolithic discovery proves fascinating to Dorothy, who was leery of the trip. But the fabulous finds at the dig on one of the smaller islands provoke disagreement among the farmer who lives there; Robert Fairweather, the director of the dig; Henry J. Carter, the wealthy, arrogant American who's bankrolling it; and Charles Norquist, the fanatically purist director of the Ancient Orkney Museum. When Carter is found dead at the dig and an accident is ruled out, the farmer is the first suspect. The local authorities, overwhelmed by a terrorist threat, ask Alan to look quietly into the murder. Alan doesn't fancy the farmer as the murderer despite the threats he made. So he, Dorothy and even Watson start digging for information that might implicate someone else. After Dorothy's cleared of killing a feral cat, she finds the local women more than willing to talk. When Norquist vanishes, the sleuths decide that he's either a person of interest or the next victim. To complicate matters still further, Norquist's horror of a mother, who's in a home suffering from mental problems, may hold the key to the mystery. Dams extends her list of pleasant British cozies (Murder at the Castle, 2013, etc.) with another installment marked by her trademark local color and another solid mystery.

Kirkus Reviews