Bibliography: Heley, Veronica. (2007). False Charity. New York: Severn House. ISBN: 9780727865274
Plot Summary: Bea Abbott has returned from an around the world trip exhausted. She started the trip with her beloved husband, but part way through, his illness worsened and he died. All Bea wants it to be left alone with her grief. Instead she discovers her son, Max, an MP, and his wife want to buy the house cheap. Instead of closing down the family owned domestic agency, Max hired a somewhat obnoxious pink-haired girl Maggie to help out, allowing her to live in the house. Maggie then took in Oliver, a teen whose father threw him out of his house. When Bea’s first husband shows up, she realizes solitude and silence are a lost cause. Caterer and old friend Coral comes asking for help in getting what’s owed her from a job to which the agency referred her and Bea feels obligated to help not realizing the dangerous situation she is getting all of them into.
Critical Analysis: Heley has created more than just another British cozy. This series is quirky and edgy and even gritty. Bea has a strong moral compass and a conscience that won’t let her turn her back on her friend, or turn the two stray young people living on her top floor out into the street. On the same hand, she won’t let her son and his wife walk all over her, and is determined now that she isn’t following her beloved husband’s bliss, to try and figure out what she really wants.
A mere description of the plot does not convey the skill with which Heley makes the search for the bad guys and the elaborate plan to catch them and get what money is owed back seem exciting and even dangerous. The fact that Maggie unknowingly makes a connection to one of the bad guys ratchets up the suspense even more.
The structure for this novel is interesting as well. Unlike very traditional cozies, the reader meets and sees the villains in action, and some of the violence happens in the pages of the story, rather then off screen so to speak. This again adds to the level of suspense and even anticipation for the confrontation. The scene where Bea confronts their team with her team behind her is very satisfying, as are the events that unfold after. (Don’t want to say too much and give away the plot.)
I would recommend this book to any lover of British or cozy mysteries, but also to readers of woman’s and Christian fiction. While not banging you over the head with it, Heley interjects a nice thread of Bea’s turning to the solace of God in the wake of losing her husband and in the midst of the problems where she now finds herself. I’m looking forward to reading more books in this series.
Review Excerpts: “[I]ngenious series debut from British veteran Heley…the cast of outrageous characters compliments a complex mystery.”–Publisher’s Weekly
“Heley’s new series has a quirky vibe that edges it beyond its pedestrian plot.”–Kirkus Reviews
“Bea overcomes all obstacles and finds that life, while challenging, can be good. The first Abbott Agency mystery is a winner that will appeal to fans of British cozies.”–Library Journal
Reviewed from public library copy.
