Underr The Guise of Death by Vivian Conroy

Set in the 1920s, we have beautiful secretive Venice with all its character, and then we have a British cast. Most of them arrogant, rich and confident with it. All with secrets to hide and histories they wish they could get rid of.

A retired Scotland Yard detective with murder following him wherever he goes. At a masked ball the reappearance of a woman who was supposed to have died in a fiery car accident three years ago sets the cat amongst the pigeons. For the present Lady Bantham, does it mean she is married to a bigamist if his first wife is not dead, for Lord Bantham with many secrets to hide does it mean his life is going to come to an end to Lovelane who is Olivia's father who had a love hate relationship with his only daughter what is the future and to everyone around the implications are enormous. The mysterious lady disappears in a flash but her dead body turns up on a bridge the next day and now the search starts.

The setting of Venice was detailed and descriptive.  This alone is enough for me. Then the British characters were so on point - their colonial attitude does not die does it?? It added to the piquancy of the story which was a straight forward mystery as to who had actually died in the earlier car crash and who killed Olivia now and why. It was the story surrounding it that added to the flavour of the book.

I've read just one Vivian Conroy before this one and she is an author I will be looking out for.

The book was sent to me by Netgalley for an unbiased review, courtesy of Canelo Books.