A Scandal in Stresa - Ann Crew

Two shots ring out across from the Kennington Stresa hotel on the edge of Lake Maggiore in northern Italy. One bullet strikes a large Alfa Romeo on the way to the hotel; the other kills a seedy but sexy grade-B Italian movie idol standing nearby. Who is the intended victim? Lord Kennington, owner of the luxury boutique hotel chain, hustles Elspeth Duff, his top security advisor, to the scene to make certain his hotel is spared from any compromising publicity and its guests from any scandal. Elspeth attempts to unwind the complex interactions of the diverse characters, including a voluptuous film goddess, an Italian duchess, an ex-minister of the Italian government who fears his daughter has been kidnapped, and his wheelchair-bound secretary who thinks he may be being duped. When the storm brewing on Lago Maggiore finally breaks out, it severely affects the hotel guests and Elspeth's security team at the hotel. Elspeth has to come to the rescue. This is the second of the Elspeth Duff mysteries. Visit elspethduffmysteries.com.