False Face

by Veronica Heley

Overview

Bea Abbot's newly married bliss is short-lived when she is dragged into a deadly game involving a famous actress, theft and murder.

Bea Abbot's husband and talented artist, Piers, is in a state. His morning visit to actress and 'national treasure' Karina's Belgravia home has ended in chaos. An antique necklace and diamond ring have been discovered missing, along with a memory stick storing Karina's highly anticipated memoirs.

Karina's housekeeper, Mrs Hennessey, her ghostwriter, Molly, and Piers himself are all accused of a conspiracy to rob the actress. When it transpires that the three were employed through the Abbot Agency, and some of the missing items are found in Piers' pockets, Bea is dragged into the melee.

But as she investigates, events take a chilling turn . . . Can Bea get to the bottom of the sinister goings-on in time to save Piers' reputation and to catch a killer?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781448305902
Publisher:	Severn House
Publication date:	11/29/2022
Series:	Abbott Agency Series , #14
Edition description:	Main
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	5.43(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

About the Author

Veronica Heley is actively involved in her local church and community affairs. She lives in Ealing, West London. Veronica is the creator of the ever-popular Ellie Quicke Mysteries, as well as the Abbot Agency series.

Editorial Reviews

A wealth of plot twists ... an enticing read

Booklist on False Fire

Those fond of darker English cozies will find much to savor

Publishers Weekly on False Pride

Heley expertly melds menace with humor. Fans of darker cozies won't be disappointed

Publishers Weekly on False Conclusion

A good choice for fans of the British cozy, especially those with an Agatha Christie feel, combining gentle humor, an intrepid heroine, and an unusual plot with quirky twists

Booklist on False Account

Bizarre twists and sparkly characters ... an endearing, entertaining read

Booklist on False Pride

The urban equivalent of a British village cozy . A likable heroine, who can play the dithery old lady while cracking challenging cases, combines with suspenseful twists, quirky supporting characters, and a satisfying ending to make this a delight for fans of British mysteries

Booklist on False Conclusion

2021-09-15
The owner of a domestic agency finds her own domestic bliss shattered when her husband agrees to paint the portrait of an aging screen star.

Bea Abbot found so much to like in her first husband, Piers, that after the death of her second, she was willing to give the reformed philanderer another chance. Now Bea and Piers, a busy portrait painter, live together comfortably in a multistory, multipurpose home. Her agency occupies the spacious lower level, she and Piers live in the middle, and the upper story is available to Bea’s ward, Bernice, when she isn’t away at boarding school. Piers uses the cottage in the mews behind the house, where he lived before the remarriage, as his art studio. It’s lucky that it’s available, since Karina, subject of his latest portrait, has chucked him out of her house in Belgravia, claiming he stole a valuable piece of her jewelry while preserving her image for posterity. Piers isn’t the first target of Karina’s wrath. The actress, widely considered a “national treasure,” fired her cook the day before and more recently accused her ghostwriter, Molly Malone, of theft. When Molly, intent on salvaging her reputation, flees to Bea’s house, Bea realizes to her consternation not only that Abbot Agency had sent Molly—who had no experience as a writer—to help Karina write her memoir, but that Molly had listed Piers’ studio as her mailing address. Alarm turns to terror when Molly’s friend Jolene, another Abbot Agency employee, disappears, and Karina’s adult sons break into Bea’s home looking for the thumb drive containing Molly’s version of the memoir. Layers of deceit push Bea to the brink as she fights a family with absolutely no scruples.

A familiar tale of the good fighting off evil that holds few surprises.

Kirkus Reviews