Cleverly, Barbara – THE BEE'S KISS

[LJ Roberts]

THE BEE'S KISS – (Police Procedural-London-1926) – VG Cleverly, Barbara – 5th in series
Constable, 2005- Hardcover

Commander Joe Sutherland, back from India, is investigating the murder, and apparent burglary, of Dame Beatrice Joliffee, one of the founders of the Wrens. Joe's investigative staff is D.S. Bill Armitage, who served under him in the war, and Constable "Tilly" Westorphe, also a former Wren. When Joe finds three other Wrens have committed suicide and his superiors order him to stop investigating and turn in his files, it's clear there's more her than a simple murder.

I always enjoy Cleverly's writing. Her characters are interesting; she provides an excellent sense of place and very good dialogue. Joe is romantic, confident, and dogged in searching for the answers. I enjoyed the complexity of the characters and the story moving from a basic crime, to more than that, yet their still being a basic crime at the end. Very well done.