A rollicking puzzle and a turmoil of personal relationships, some happy, some doomed, some downright evil.

The third adventure for Belinda and Hazel continuing the pace and humour that readers have come to acknowledge and appreciate.

Excitement and tension begin on the first day of filming a Restoration drama on location at the historic Jacobean mansion, Ham House in Surrey when one of the leading players collapses and dies. With the death ruled non-accidental the director, producer and members of the cast are all suspects.

An award winning Hollywood star is brought in to replace the dead actor and Belinda is employed as her stand-in. When another member of the crew is found stabbed to death, Belinda is forced to prove her innocence.

In all this tumult, Belinda finds herself torn between her long-time English lover, Mark and the energetic and exuberant Australian, Brad she met again on a trip to Australia.

REVIEW

An Interesting Setting with Entertaining Characters. Recommended. For those who like an old-fashioned British mystery, rife with night scenes on the Thames, a Jacobean mansion, quirky, entertaining characters and a cutting wit, Bloody Ham is for you.
Kavanagh uses his insider knowledge of the film industry to bring Hollywood to London, with all the big screen politics, film star egos, sexual affairs and (literally) back-stabbing during the creation of an English period piece.

Into this mix comes Belinda Lawrence and her cantankerous friend, Hazel Whitby. Hazel is leasing period silverware to the production company and Belinda gets enlisted as a stand-in for the female lead. Two murders occur on set and Belinda, Hazel and their men friends work, sometimes together, sometimes at odds with one another, to solve the mystery. As an interesting side story, Belinda brings her own personal love interests into the mix. Will she go with the freewheeling Australian, Brad, or her long time, proper, British gentleman, Mark?

I liked the fact that, while one of the murders was solved, the other death (Was it a murder?) was left unresolved. Did someone else get away with something sinister? That is left up to the reader to determine.

I would have given this five stars if I wasn’t nonplused by one of the character’s blabbing to Belinda about her witnessing one of the murders. In my mind, I couldn’t justify the reason except as a device to set up the ending. I wish the author would have come up with a more clever way of leading Belinda to the solution of the mystery.
Bloody Ham is the third book in the Belinda Lawrence series. It is an interesting setting with entertaining characters and I recommend it to all those who like a good solid mystery story.

Reviewed by: Douglas Quinn
www.amazon.com
**** ½

EXCERPT

Hayley with a broad smile, disengaged herself from the Duke’s exploring fingers, snatched up the goblet, and eagerly drank the contents. Throwing the goblet to the floor and, with a flirtatious glance to Sir Noel, she began another wild dance.

Apart from the obvious erotic elements the scene was much as been photographed earlier in the day. For a minute Belinda watched the dance, fascinated by the total lack of inhibition the young American was displaying as her dance became wilder and more eccentric.

Her flawless skin, previously white, was beginning to show a pink flush as she whirled and cavorted, arms flailing, legs jerking. On and on she danced as though unable to stop.

But stop she did. Suddenly and violently.

Her hands began to claw at her skin, scratching at the flesh as an inflamed nettle rash appeared on her torso. She clasped her stomach as cramps took hold of her. With a tremendous gasp she turned to face the camera and the assembled crew, her shocked eyes solid with fright and terror. She clutched her throat.

Wheezing, gagging, gasping for breath as though the task of bringing air into her lungs was beyond her reach, her body went rigid. Her frantic, demanding gaze scoured the room as though searching for some invisible object or being, to finally settle on Belinda. Belinda, stunned by the occurrence, stared back unable to move, mesmerized by this sudden horrifying development.

With a frightened muffled shriek that shook her body and appealed for help, while feeble fingers tore at her throat, Hayley buckled and collapsed onto the floor, her whole body writhing and straining piteously in a vain attempt to breathe.