Book Review: The Skeleton in the Closet by M. C. Beaton (2001)

Synopsis: Fellworth "Fell" Dolphin has had a hard life. His parents were both abusive and misery and since his father's death, he has been forced to work as a waiter to support both himself and his controlling mother. As a result, when his mother dies, he is more relieved than sad and is shocked when he learns his parents were surprisingly wealthy. To fend off his mother's relatives, Fell convinces his co-worker, Maggie, to pose as his fiancée, not knowing Maggie is secretly in love with him. They soon find their lives upended when an investigation into where his parents' money came from both re-opens a long-forgotten train robbery case and unearths a family secret.

Review: I originally checked out another book from my local library but lost interest with it after the first chapter (that sometimes happens). So, since I wanted something else to read, I returned to the library in search of something from a familiar/favorite author. Originally, I was going to give Beaton's Agatha Raisin series another shot but when I noticed The Skeleton in the Closet, selected that stand-alone book instead. 

I was pleasantly surprised.

The mystery Fell and Maggie stumble into is an intriguing one. The surprise inheritance and a box of money found in a desk were suspicious enough to make it plausible his deceased father had been involved in the train robbery. However, based on how quickly their lives became endangered once they began looking into it, it was clear there was a lot more going on than suspected.

It was also one of those mysteries that had plenty of potential suspects. There were some obvious ones, but they were a mix of being out of the country, dead or too elderly to be breaking into Fell's house, planting a bomb in Maggie's car, etc. At the same time, there were quite a few others who seemed to take an unusual amount of interest in either the case they were investigating or the pair themselves.

The romantic subplot of the story was also interesting, especially when both of them, despite pretending to be engaged, started dating other people. For Maggie, it was a case of being in love with Fell but reconsidering her options when it seemed like he didn't have feelings for her. With Fell, it was a case of him considering Maggie a friend but then realizing he was falling in love with her. Then, whenever it seemed like they were on the same page, something would happen that would set it back a bit.

My only real complaint, ironically, is related to that romance and Beaton's focus on Maggie's looks. It's one thing for Maggie to not think she's attractive enough, I think that's both a common thing and relatable. However, on the flip side of that, when Fell goes from believing Maggie is too "plain" for him then becomes jealous when she changes her appearance and other men notice her, it just makes him seem like an ass. I would have liked it much better if Fell had always thought Maggie was attractive, but his original lack of romantic interest was something along the lines of not wanting to mess up the friendship.

Final Opinion: This is a good book with an intriguing mystery and interesting characters. I couldn't put it down once I started reading it as a result of that.

My Grade: A

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Book Review: Death of a Spy by M. C. Beaton with R W. Green (2024)

Book Review: Agatha Raisin and the Wellspring of Death by M. C. Beaton (1998)

Book Review: Death of an Honest Man by M. C. Beaton (2018)