The Daughters of Foxcote Manor by Eve Chase ** (of 4)

Meh.

Billed as a mystery, a body turns up on page one. Unlike most mysteries, the overarching question is not who did the killing, but in the scary forest outside the decaying Foxcote Manor hidden amongst encroaching British woodland, but to whom does the body belong.

The books male characters are reduced to three trite stereotypes. There is an overbearing, controlling husband who takes unknown, important business trips abroad. (Any wagers on whether he is having an affair?) While husband is away, man number two is Businessman's best friend, a Lothario with a drink on the rocks always at hand and a wolfish leer aimed at anything female within striking distance. Man number three possesses all the characteristics to be the opposite: silent strength, the ability to fix or make anything, compassion, a limitless capacity to listen, and even just the right amount of musky, almost sweating, aromatic charisma.

The real mystery of Foxcote Manor is how it persuaded reviewers to call it a suspense novel rather than classifying it as cheesy romance. After I finished, I needed a shower.