I just love those trapped-here-in-the-blizzard, oh-the-bridge’s-washed-out, Agatha-Christie-inspired “house party” mysteries. I can see writing “Death on the Space Shuttle” or “Corpse in the Elevator” or some such. This “first Kincaid and James mystery,” however, transcends its genre, introducing very appealing characters, particularly its detective, his sidekick, the intended victim, and some elderly British sisters. I’ve never read Crombie before, and was surprised to find her a Texan; she seems to both honor and update the genre and the sense of place in Yorkshire is good. It wasn’t until I wondered about the lack of cell phones that I checked the copyright date (1993) and realized I’d totally missed this oft-nominated series.
