Death Lurks in the Bush

by Kate Grilley

Berkley, 2002.
Paperback, 213 pages.
ISBN: 0425185494

Death Lurks in the Bush by Kate Grilley

The Caribbean island of St. Chris was under Danish rule until 1917, when it gained its independence. But some of the populace maintained their Danish citizenship, and the ties to Denmark are still strong. Now Queen Margarethe is coming for a visit to the tiny island and the excitement is fierce. The elderly Miss Maude knows the Queen personally and hosts a dinner party for friends to test out some recipes she will be serving to Her Majesty. One of the guests is Kelly Ryan, the former station manager and now owner of radio station WBZE. Everyone at the dinner party comes down with food poisoning, to the horror of Miss Maude. When a death occurs, and the doctor who does the autopsy also dies, Kelly begins to think that there is a murderer on the island, and begins to investigate.

Kate Grilley has created a wonderful and vivid island setting for this third entry in the Kelly Ryan mystery series, after Death Dances to a Reggae Beat and Death Rides an Ill Wind. Kelly Ryan is a likeable and funny amateur sleuth and her observations are always entertaining. With an eclectic and interesting cast of characters and a nice puzzler of a plot, this is the cozy mystery as it should be done.

-Claire E. White

Death Lurks in the Bush is available for purchase on Amazon.com

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This review was published in the March, 2003 of The Internet Writing Journal.