Attending a birthday celebration for two young girls, Bea Abbot tries not to let superstition get the better of her when she realizes they are thirteen at dinner. What she doesn't anticipate is that the evening will end in sudden, violent death.

Suddenly a dining room curtain goes up in flames. While two members of the host family are rushed to hospital, Bea and a fellow guest search for the birthday girls in a house which has been plunged into darkness. And then the chaos begins ...

Could the fire have been started deliberately - and were young Bernice and Alicia the intended targets? As Bea investigates, she finds herself drawn into the girls' troubling world: a world rich in money but lacking in love.

Loved it -started reading it and before I knew it I had finished. Very enjoyable read.

False Fire

by Veronica Heley

The author of False Fire, Veronica Heley, 83 years old and creator of over 70 books, just made my “go to” mystery writer list. The list is short; it starts and ends with Agatha Christie. At no point in reading False Fire did I want to put it down. There were no artificial hooks to keep me reading—it was the action of the plot. It just kept moving at such a rapid pace, starting with the first chapter, that I was compelled to devour the book.

The writing was well-done, and the characters were interesting. Heley has created a main character in Bea Abbot who is resourceful, observant, and intelligent. She runs the Abbot Agency—for domestics, not detectives. In False Fire, Bea is attending a dinner when a fire breaks out in the home, followed by an explosion and power outages. There is general mayhem and children to be rescued. Later Bea has to sort through the relationships of a very dysfunctional family to try to discover the arsonist. Was the crime, in fact, arson? There are many Britishisms but most are understandable within the context, and all add to the fun of reading a book by a British author.

I am so grateful to have found this prolific author. Although I enjoy the diversity of themes and ideas in cozy mysteries, I appreciate even more a mystery like this one that is hardcore in the sense that the focus is the developing plot. At the same time, there is not a detailed description of violence or sex. The language is always appropriate. While this is in no way a Christian book, the author’s faith is evident as she has her main character pray for help on several occasions. Both the main character and the mystery should be described as “strong”: no evidence of milquetoast in sight!

I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Severn House for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 5/5

Category: Mystery

Notes: #11 in the Abbot Agency series, but easily read like a standalone for me

Publication: April 1, 2017—Severn House

Memorable Lines:
The other girl was a sweetie, but not exactly the Brain of Britain.

Bernice gave alternate mouthfuls to Teddy, who was assuming a careworn appearance. Much loving can do that to you.

The man plunged down the corridor, disappearing into tendrils of smoke which curled about the figure and obscured him from Bea’s view. She stumbled after him, straining her eyes to see through the mist, which thickened and darkened as they advanced.

Tragedy and greed in the upper classes

Family and friends gather together to celebrate the tenth birthday of Alicia and of Bernice, Alicia's best friend. They all sit down to enjoy a 'black tie' event which goes smoothly enough apart from rather ignorant behaviour by some of the younger members who are surgically attached to their iPhones! Bea Abbott, who has come with her friend, Sir Leon Holland, is not impressed.

As the evening progresses the birthday girls become tired and are taken up to bed by Alicia's nanny, Mrs Frost, taking with them most of their presents. They have barely left when there is a noise like a firework going off, and the long drapes in the dining room go up in flames. Alicia's grandfather, Josh, who is not in the best of health, collapses with a heart attack and his daughter, Daphne (Alicia's mother), cuts herself badly on some broken glass; they are taken to hospital, and most of the guests leave with them.

The only people left are Bea, William Moreton and Faye who will not leave without finding all of her broken pearls. Bea and William are about to leave when they hear another noise and go upstairs to find a curtain on the landing has also been set alight. They also find Mrs Frost, who has broken her leg in a fall, and then the lights go out. On hearing a cry from the attic rooms where the children are, they go up to find it full of thick black smoke. They rescue the girls and with Mrs Frost in tow, and dragging a reluctant Faye with them, they leave the house and call the emergency services.

What follows is a fire investigation which initially focuses on the two girls, and then Bea begins to suspect shenanigans throughout the family.

What follows is reminiscent of a Miss Marple story, with Bea in the role of Miss Marple.
She involves herself in caring for the children, whilst supporting other members of the family, most of whom behave abominably. She is supported by William Moreton and rather oddly fantasises about a future including marriage – she met him less than twelve hours before!

As the story comes close to the end she gathers all the family, friends and hangers-on in her drawing room; very much a la Marple, and manages to solve the crime.

This is an enjoyable and non-taxing read which motors along at a fierce pace and provides plenty of choice in the unmasking of the culprit. I did feel that in places it stretched credulity a bit too far, but overall it was a light crime thriller with moments of suspense.

Pashtpaws

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

This book was not my cup of tea. I do not post negative reviews publicly.

Widowed businesswoman Bea Abbott is enjoying a birthday party for two 10-year-old girls at a splendid house on Guy Fawkes Night when some wayward fireworks set off several blazes. But were the fires an accident? Clever Bea doesn’t much think so.

Her friend, Sir Leon Hollingsworth, wants to be more than a friend, but, as Bea learned in False Wall, the book immediately preceding this one, Leon’s not someone you can trust in a pinch. In False Fire, Bea meets a family that’s equal parts privilege and dysfunction — and a new love interest. The events in False Fire will change the lives of two families — as well as Bea’s — forever.

In all honesty, I was disappointed in False Wall, the book immediately preceding this one, where the normally resolute Bea was all a-dither, whiney and self-pitying. I’m happy to say that Bea’s back to her own perspicacious, take-charge self. As one character points out, Bea’s got a huge heart, and each book makes me thrill at being able to re-connect with her as with a long-lost friend.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley and Severn House Publishers in exchange for an honest review.