When a hot air balloon lands near Morrington Hall, it draws the attention of Stella and Lyndy as well as others, including Quentin Lockyear, son-in-law of Reuben Woodridge, a recluse who is suspected of murdering his wife. Quentin is keen to invest in aeronautic ships and automobiles, and invites Stella and Lyndy to Woodridge’s estate, Exbury Lodge. Upon their arrival, they meet the mysterious patriarch, accompanied by his nurse, and his daughter, Enid. Reuben takes Stella and Lyndy on a tour of his stables and a large mill pond on the property, encouraging them to take his skiff out whenever they like. Returning the next day for a bird shoot, the couple go for a ride in the skiff only to discover a body in the pond. The woman is dressed in expensive clothes but has no identification on her. An accidental drowning? Suicide? What is she doing on the property? When an autopsy reveals traces of poison, Stella and Lyndy attempt to discover who she was and who might have had a reason to do her harm. Rumors aside, what secrets are they hiding at Exbury Lodge?

Autorentext

Clara McKenna is the author of the USA Today bestselling Stella and Lyndy Mystery Series as well as the Hattie Davish Mystery series. She is a member of Sisters in Crime and the founding member of Sleuths in Time, a cooperative group of historical mystery writers who encourage and promote each other's work. McKenna has spent most of her working life in academia and is an avid traveler, a vintage teacup collector, and a self-professed anglophile. She lives with her family in a Victorian farmhouse near Ames, Iowa, and can be found online at ClaraMckenna.com.

Klappentext

Viscount “Lyndy” Lyndhurst and his wife Stella, an American "Dollar Princess," dive into a new investigation after discovering a body in a pond on the estate of a man rumored to have killed his wife…

When a hot air balloon lands near Morrington Hall, it draws the attention of Stella and Lyndy as well as others, including Quentin Lockyear, son-in-law of Reuben Woodridge, a recluse who is suspected of murdering his wife. Quentin is keen to invest in aeronautic ships and automobiles, and invites Stella and Lyndy to Woodridge’s estate, Exbury Lodge.

Upon their arrival, they meet the mysterious patriarch, accompanied by his nurse, and his daughter, Enid. Reuben takes Stella and Lyndy on a tour of his stables and a large mill pond on the property, encouraging them to take his skiff out whenever they like. Returning the next day for a bird shoot, the couple go for a ride in the skiff only to discover a body in the pond.

The woman is dressed in expensive clothes but has no identification on her. An accidental drowning? Suicide? What is she doing on the property? When an autopsy reveals traces of poison, Stella and Lyndy attempt to discover who she was and who might have had a reason to do her harm. Rumors aside, what secrets are they hiding at Exbury Lodge?