A Murder in Mayfair (Missing Mysteries)

Colin Pinnock is an up-and-coming junior minister in the Prime Minister's new government, excited about his post and pleased with the recognition he's beginning to attain. His complacency is shattered by the arrival of a cryptic and anonymous letter, which suggests that he is not who he thinks he is. Veteran crime writer Barnard (A Scandal in Belgravia, The Corpse at the Haworth Tandoori) presents the solution to the central mystery early on, as Pinnock learns that in all likelihood he is the son of a notorious British nobleman who disappeared after impregnating the family nanny and killing his wife.

Mixing facts and surmises based on a true-life London murder of the 1980s with a fictional hero whose search for the truth about his origins is nicely limned and expertly paced, Barnard delivers another winner for his many fans. The development of the relationships between Colin and his half-siblings is well described, and the denouement offers just enough surprise to classify this elegant novel under "mysteries, British." --Jane Adams