Death in the Garden City

May 1, 2019
American Dorothy Martin, now living in England with her husband, Alan, have been invited to a traditional baptism for the son of a childhood friend of Alan's. After a long drive through the English countryside, they arrive at Montcalm manor, only to find a family heirloom has been stolen. Without the heirloom, the baby cannot be baptized or be in position to inherit. Luckily for the Montcalm family, Dorothy and Alan planned to remain for the christening, and so are able to lend their inquisitive natures to uncovering the culprit. Anglophiles and history buffs alike will enjoy the cozy mystery merged with travelogue details. The strong sense of place, of both the quaint English countryside and frenetic urban London, is enriched by Dams' descriptions of the somewhat archaic English traditions paramount to the plot. The leisurely pacing of the novel is perfect for fans of Rhys Bowen and Alexander McCall Smith.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2020
In Victoria, B.C., far from their home in England, American Dorothy Martin, a former schoolteacher, and her British ex-cop husband, Alan, are investigating a series of thefts, at the request of their Canadian friends. At first, it's a bit of a lark, a chance to immerse themselves in Canadian culture and encounter people from various levels of Victoria society, but soon, after a disappearance and the discovery of a body, the lark becomes something else entirely. She may be outside her sleuthing comfort zone, at least geographically, but Dorothy won't let an unfamiliar city and its unfamiliar people stand in the way of ferreting out a killer. Dams makes a smart decision, sending Dorothy and Alan on a trip; it's a nice way to shake up the series without altering it structurally, giving the action a fresh feel while retaining all of its familiar elements. Good stuff for cozy fans.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)