False Picture (Abbot Agency Mysteries) [Paperback]

Veronica Heley (Author)

Book Description

Series: Abbot Agency Mysteries | Publication Date: August 1, 2009

An Abbot Agency Mystery - Velma is charm itself, especially when shes being inexact with the truth. Now she wants Bea, widowed owner of the Abbot Agency, to check up on her stepson Philip, as hes somehow acquired a valuable picture last seen in the flat of an elderly lady whos been murdered. However, a professional art thief is also after the picture. Can Bea locate Philip and the missing Millais without falling foul of someone who already has several murders to his credit?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Heley's sprightly second cozy to feature London detective Bea Abbot (after 2007's False Charity), Bea insists her domestic agency doesn't do murder, but murder sneaks into her latest missing person case—the disappearance of her best friend Velma Weston's stepson, Philip, a wastrel who might have stolen a pre-Raphaelite painting by John Everett Millais either before or after Lady Lucinda Farne, his elderly godmother, was killed by a thief. The thief, who calls himself Rafael, plots to smuggle the loot he took from the victim, a collection of portrait miniatures and gold snuff boxes, out of the country. Meanwhile, Maggie, Bea's feisty assistant, goes undercover, taking a vacancy at the flat where Philip was living with several roommates. After Velma's husband has a heart attack, the action escalates for Heley's intrepid sleuth, who relies on arrow prayers rather than conventional weapons and knows just how to handle knife-wielding art thieves and missing bad boys. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Bea Abbott runs a small agency offering “domestic services”; sounds safe enough, but Bea has a nose for trouble. Her latest escapade involves her good friend Velma, whose dying husband wants to see his grown son, Philip, one last time. But Philip has disappeared. Can Bea find him? Bea, who is still recovering from the recent death of her own husband, thinks a spot of sleuthing might prove diverting. Heley offers fans a wacky British cozy with a bit of an edge, and although the plot is improbable and a few of the characters either irritating or silly, Bea makes it work on charm alone. --Emily Melton --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Severn House Publishers; Reprint edition (August 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1847510779
• ISBN-13: 978-1847510778
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,811,251 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Veronica Heley (www.veronicaheley.com) has published more than fifty books, including crime fiction, historical, and children's titles. She is currently involved in the Ellie Quicke series of crime stories and a variety of other projects. A full-time writer, she has been married to a London probation officer since 1964, and has one musician daughter.