A GRAVE DECEPTION

Actually, Kate, who’s married to DCI Tom Mallory, has two, possibly three murders to solve: two in the present, the other from the 14th century. An archeological dig has discovered a woman so well-preserved that the searchers can tell that her eyes were blue. Kate and her colleague, Ivor Tweedy, have been asked to examine the grave goods, including a magnificent pearl, which are being stored at an estate called Ravenswyck Court, on whose grounds they were found. They’re invited to dinner at Finchley Hall, home of Kate’s friend Lady Barbara Finchley-fforde, to meet the archeologists, from the University of East Anglia. Their leader, Dr. Simon Sinclair, is a brilliant backstabber willing to do anything to advance himself. The rest of the team includes Barbara’s adopted niece, Dr. Celia Whybrew; Dr. Niall Nevin; and two Ph.D. candidates, Mark Lambe and Tamzin Oliver. The owner of Ravenswyck Court is wealthy entrepreneur Alex Belcourt, whose wife, Carrie Holgate, disappeared years ago. He hires Kate to discover the truth about Egemere Woman in honor of his beloved wife. The site is picketed by people opposed to disturbing the dead—even though the dig had already been suspended—and everyone is shocked to discover Sinclair lying dead in one of the trenches, apparently murdered. Tom is well aware of his wife’s talents when it comes to murder investigations, but his ambitious new DI, Amy Cartwright, is looking for credit herself. As the police check the alibis of the obvious suspects, Mark Lambe finally gets his wish to investigate a nearby plague pit, where the pregnant corpse of Carrie Holgate is found. With Tom busy on another case, Kate has her hands full.