Poisoned Pen
Published June 16, 2026
Reviewed by Barbara Fister
Evoking the Golden Age of crime fiction that the author has so thoroughly studied, Hemlock Bay places Rachel Savenake, an amateur sleuth who is recognized as an expert, at a new upscale seaside resort where she investigates a crime that hasn’t happened. Rather, her friend Jacob Flint – a crime reporter – has clued her in to the possibility a murder might be committed, thanks to a tip from a rattled fortune teller.
Edwards has put his scholarship and the experience of crafting a long list of mysteries to good use for those who like an old-school puzzle. Here, Rachel, Jacob, and her associates explore the resort where there’s a private nudist beach and a surrealist painter Rachel admires lives in a lighthouse with a prickly, jealous partner. Rachel had previously purchased one of the artist’s unusual paintings, one that portrays a body sprawled on the beach below Hemlock Bay’s cliffs. While the sleuths wonder if the fortune teller’s prediction will actually come true, we know from the diary of an otherwise mild-mannered accountant that he is indeed, planning a murder to avenge his dead wife. We are just not sure who the object of his wrath is, and there are plenty of suspects for the corpse-in-waiting.
This story, the fifth featuring Rachel Savernake, is told very much in the style of a between-the-wars mystery. It may not satisfy the modern reader who expects propulsive pacing or deep psychological analysis of the characters. But for those who cherish the fair-play puzzles of the Golden Age, it may be exactly what you’re looking for. There’s even a “clue finder” at the end of the book that reveals all the well-placed hints you might have missed.