Two startling murders that replicate the death of a mediaeval English king and the discovery of a mysterious ancient tapestry lead Belinda Lawrence and her associate Hazel Whitby into a vortex of suspense involving a bizarre religious cult, an enigmatic academic, a group of monks devoted to aggression and clues to a thrilling conspiracy nearly a thousand years old.

Are the Godwins, self-proclaimed spiritual leaders, really devoted to their religious group?

Is Sir Gerald Taylor, revered university don, as benign as he appears?

What is the origin of the puzzling tapestry discovered in the old country house?

It is the murder of a local villager that ensnares Belinda and Hazel in this web of intrigue and as they follow up each clue they little realise that their own lives are to a greater extent in danger. Although pessimistic, Mark Sallinger, Belinda's lover, is coaxed into aiding the women as they attempt to solve the riddle, a riddle that creates more uncertainty at every turn. And each perilous turn brings the trio closer to an electrifying climax and imminent death.

Following on from Capable of Murder, this is the second in the Belinda Lawrence Mystery Series and continues the lively young Australian's adventures in England with the same degree of wicked humour and heart-stopping excitement

REVIEW

Murder and intrigue in the English countryside When Belinda Lawrence first sees a piece of tapestry on an antique buying expedition, she is instantly curious. Could this be a missing piece of the Bayeux Tapestry? Belinda's friend and colleague Hazel Whitby is not so intrigued. She doesn't understand Belinda's fascination. When the tapestry comes into Belinda's possession through a strange series of events, she still can't arouse Hazel's interest, nor that of her boyfriend Mark. To them it is just a rag. But when two murders seem to be connected to the tapestry and other troubling events start happening around them, the trio realise there is a mystery to be solved.

The tapestry has links to King Harold, who was overthrown at the Battle of Hastings. Curiously, a new religious sect in the area is devoted to King Harry. As Belinda tries to find the link between the tapestry and the sect and solve the dual murders, she is drawn into danger and intrigue. Will she and her friends emerge unscathed? The Embroidered Corpse, the second book for author Brian Kavanagh, is a great blend of gripping mystery with a little humour and a little romance. Whilst set in England it has an unmistakable Aussie touch, with the main character being an expatriate Australian and the English landscape and characters seen though her eyes. Kavanagh's first novel, Capable of Murder also centred around Belinda and Hazel and it is to be hoped there will be more tales of the friends in the future.

Reviewed by: Sally Murphy
www.aussiereviews.com

EXCERPT

Sir Gerald crossed the road near the park. He hoped the cleaning woman had lit the fire. The building would be cold after being empty for the week. He glanced up at his house and saw a light in the top room where his computer was stored.

He grimaced sourly. The damned woman had not completed her work. And what was she doing in that room? He had told her a thousand times never to clean in there. He wanted no one to have even the remotest chance of seeing his files.

Even as he had these thoughts he was startled to see his front door open and the cleaning woman emerge. She slammed the door shut and scurried away in the opposite direction. He glanced up at the top window. As he did, the light was extinguished.

There was someone in his house.


As Belinda switched off the lamp, the click heightened the silence in the house. The faint gurgle of rainwater trickling through the downpipes was the only noise to break the stillness. Feeling her way in the dark, Belinda edged slowly towards the top of the stairs. She had taken only two tentative steps down, when her blood froze.

The front door was slowly opening.

A dark figure slipped, ghostlike, into the hall. By the meager streetlight, Belinda could just discern the white hair and slim figure of Sir Gerald. He swung the door to and the imperceptible click of the lock, told Belinda that she was trapped.

In the infinite darkness Belinda was fixed motionless. She felt that her very breath would give her away; reveal to Sir Gerald her presence; her illicit presence in his house.