Book Review - Death Lurks in the Bush

Death Lurks in the Bush
by Kate Grilley
Berkley Prime Crime, July 2002
224 pages, $5.99
0425185494
Kelly Ryan series #3

An upcoming visit from the Queen of Denmark has the inhabitants of the island of St. Chris in the grip of Danish mania. Recently recovered from the devastating damage from Hurricane Gilda (Death Rides an Ill Wind), they have come up with such novelties as the Danish Mary (a variation of the Bloody Mary using aquavit instead of vodka), Danish pizza, Danish enchiladas, and Danish pasta in honor of the visit. The reason for this royal visit--Miss Maude, St. Chris's beloved retired schoolteacher, is to receive a special honor from the Queen.

The royal party arrives in four weeks. The governor's assistant, Chris Edwards, is planning a welcoming ceremony, a walking tour of Isabeya, ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Agriculture Fair and dedication of the homestead house, lunch with the island's governor, and an afternoon reception & award ceremony.

Miss Maude will be entertaining Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik with a small dinner party at her home that evening. Miss Maude has known the Queen since she was an infant and is adamant about returning the royal party's past kindness to her. And Kelly Ryan, a close friend of Miss Maude and the new owner of WBZE, has been invited to the party.

Kelly is excited at the prospect. It has been a tough four months. Her house was one of the last ones to get her electricity back after Gilda and she had to rebuild her gallery as well. Not only does she now own the radio station but she is still its weekday morning deejay and general manager. Not only is Kelly having dinner with the Queen but she is also part of the homestead house's building team. The homestead house is to be a replica of the old original houses built in the 1930's by the island's homesteaders, consisting of two rooms with a lean-to kitchen and an outdoor privy.

Miss Maude decides to have a dress rehearsal of her dinner--chilled cucumber soup, baked fish, asparagus pudding, and red grout. Present are Kelly and her boyfriend, Michael, Benjamin, in charge of security for the royal visit, and his wife Camille, Amelia, Miss Maude's granddaughter, and her husband, Miss Lucinda, Miss Maude's closest friend, and Chris Edwards. Barely hours later, the entire party is struck down with a bad case of the flu--or is it?

When other islanders are likewise struck down as time progresses, Kelly relaxes and the thought of food poisoning disappears from her thoughts. But the death of a long-time island resident starts Kelly thinking again and she finds herself accusing one of her close friends of murder.

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