The Piano Teacher by Lynn York. Winning reveiw by Rosey Darbishire, Ulverston.

Well, Lord-a-mussy! Here we are in North Carolina where emotions are high and all is not as it seems.

Miss Wilma, respected widow and piano teacher, finds her orderly life well and truly mussed-up. First there is the murder of one of the police deputies and then, even more alarmingly, the arrival of her willful and wayward daughter. These two events are connected and Miss Wilma has to try and find the killer. In doing this she also finds some unwelcome secrets, how to communicate with her daughter and, most unexpectedly, a lover already known. This tender love story is so well done that I could have forgone the murder mystery.

Lynn York has a sharp eye for detail and a sense of the absurd. The Piano Teacher is not as sugary as the blueberry pie, there is a large portion of wit to take the edge off the sweetness. This s more like a good slice of Wilma's pound cake' "With the sweet crust on top and just a hint in the center of a sad streak."

The Piano Teacher is Lynn York's first book. I look forward to a second helping.