The Blessed Plot
The Blessed Plot by M.R.D. Meek 1992 A Worldwide Mystery Mystery
This is the third book I read starring Lennox Kemp, solicitor and former detective. The books span several years with large gaps in between and Kemp ages without too many changes. He falls for the wrong lady and is obsessed with class differences.
In this story Julie Sorrento and her two children need him to help her receive legal aid because her husband, Luciano, has abandoned them. The little clues mean a lot in this story so pay attention.
He is invited by Lettice Warrendeer to a party at Courtenay Manor where twins Vivian (male) and Venetia (female) have inherited after the long 90-year life of Uncle Silas comes to an end. Silas was old fashioned and they go into the hereditary laws that are confusing, but the end result is that the oldest male heir inherits everything, which is Vivian.
A lot of people are introduced. Arnold Crayshaw is the solicitor from the London office and handling the Courtenay estate. Blanche Courtenay, mother of the twins, doesn’t inherit because her husband died before inheriting. Lydia Beresford is researching the gravestones and tells Lennox about an American. The body of Luciano is found, but Kemp dismisses it as the reason he was missing.
After prodding from his secretary, Lennox starts to look deeper into the death of Luciano and shares his concerns with Inspector Upshire, who appears in other books. Together they uncover the fact that Luciana, Julie and the kids returned to Sicily so who is the dead man?
Lydia falls or is she pushed down the stairs at a masquerade ball at the Courtenay Manor, and Lettice shows Kemp a secret room where a French prisoner was held for ransom. Blanche confesses a secret her husband had and the small details fall into place.
Kemp puts himself in the path of danger that no police force would allow, but he manages to stay alive. There are probably more books in the series.
The motive was an old one with a modern twist which writers need to take advantage of when plotting stories. Take an old and tried storyline but add some twists, modernizations, or a different cast of characters to give it a new feel for the reader.
Some writers will take a book in the top 10 sellers list and write their own version. Think Harry Potter, Hunger Games, or Twilight. Sometimes they can profit from the popularity of the genre or it can end up being a pale shadow of the original.
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