Murder at the Boat Club

 Murder at the Boat Club (2019) by Lee Strauss

Ginger Reed, the former Lady Gold, has never seen a boat race before. So when her husband, Chief Inspector Basil Reed, invites her to join him as he watches the son of one of his close friends race, she is eager to attend. The races between the London Universities are always competitive and exciting. But who knew that rowing could be such a dangerous sport? 

When the race is over (and the Reeds have backed the winning team), Ginger and Basil find themselves at a celebration party for the young man and his mates. But celebration turns to tragedy when Gerald Edgerton collapses and dies. The team doctor is all set to assume an undiagnosed weak heart, but Basil insists on calling the team from Scotland Yard. Lord Egerton has said that his son had no history of heart problems and the chief inspector isn't comfortable with healthy young men who collapse and die suddenly. 

His instincts are proven correct when the autopsy reveals that the young man drowned. Wait...what? How does a healthy young man drown on dry land? Well...there's this thing called secondary drowning. Usually affecting small children, it occurs when someone has a near-drowning experience and the lungs don't clear properly. The young or those with weakened lungs are susceptible--and Gerald had a serious bout of bronchitis when he was young, resulting in scar tissue in the lungs that prevented him from properly getting rid of the water inhaled. Now Basil and Ginger have to discover who tried to drown Gerald in the last two days and why. There are several suspects among his racing set--from those with drug secrets to hide to the man whose place he took on the rowing team to the young man who just "likes to cut things up." When another member of the team dies, the Reeds have to look at the case from a new angle and will have to hurry to prevent any more deaths.

Another fun entry in the "Lady Gold" mystery series. I enjoyed the new setting among the boat race set. Strauss captures the excitement of the race and the British tone of the period very well. The motives are a bit murky and the supposed surprise at the end wasn't as surprising as she intended, but the characters and time period are so enjoyable and well drawn that I didn't mind much. I am interested to see how things develop with Scout. And I look forward to the next adventure for Ginger and Basil. ★★★ and 1/2.

First line: One never knew what might happen at a boat race, but Mrs. Ginger Reed--the former Lady Gold--hadn't expected murder.

Last line: "Consider it sealed," she said, then settled her lips on his.
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Deaths = 2 (one drowned; one poisoned)