"entertaining late nineteenth century regional cozy"

In 1888 Maine Dr. Ben Northcote travels across Penobscot Bay to Keep Island to help three men suffering from poisoning. When he fails to return home or send a message to his fiancée Diana Spaulding, she becomes concerned as that is so out of character for the considerate Ben. Adding to her fears is that she has been told Keep Island is a dangerous place.

Still the intrepid Diana ignores the warning and her trepidation; she travels to Keep Island where an archeological dig led by archeologist Serena Dunbar near the home of wealthy Graham Somener, is occurring. There, Diana finds Ben looking into a questionable death that the sheriff, Graham and Serena want kept quiet to avoid negative publicity. Realizing that Graham and Serena is a couple and fearing illegal activities perhaps fraud but also likely murder, Diana and Ben investigate the goings on at the dig site.

LETHAL LEGEND is an entertaining late nineteenth century regional cozy starring an intrepid heroine who joins her beloved as they try to uncover the truth only to meet official obstacles from the law, the property owner and the lead archeologist. Their conspiracy only encourages Ben and Diana to seek what happened on Keep island. Fans of the series (see DEADLIER THAN THE PEN, FATAL AS A FALLEN WOMAN and LETHAL LEGEND) will appreciate the latest entry in the stupendous Spaulding saga.

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted May 25, 2008

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Summary

Diana's wedding preparations are interrupted when her fiance Ben receives an urgent plea for help from a reclusive childhood friend in the final volume of this mystery series. Working on a secretive archeological dig on Graham Somener's island off the coast of Maine, a team of men have all been poisoned. When one is murdered in a diving accident and Graham refuses to call the police, Diana and Ben fear he may have fallen under the spell of a confidence woman posing as an archeologist from the Peabody Museum. Their investigations threaten Ben's friendship and imperil Diana's life before the conundrum is finally solved.