The Beacon and Other Mystery Stories

"Well-crafted stories which will delight mystery fans."
-Kirkus Discoveries

"Elwood's believable situations, natural dialogue and wit make her stories a pleasure to read."
- Annie Boulanger, Burnaby Now

"I found great enjoyment reading the stories... Original and evocative."
-Barbara Kay, National Post columnist

The Beary family returns in "The Beacon and Other Mystery Stories," the third book featuring feisty city councillor, Bertram Beary, his opera-singing daughter, Philippa, and his detective inspector son, Richard. In the title story, a former opera singer who was renowned for her performance as La Gioconda becomes the prime suspect when her husband's body washes ashore near their waterfront home the same day that his mistress dies in a fiery inferno on the other side of the channel.

As the book progresses, the senior members of the Beary family solve The Mystery of the Boston Teapots while walking The Freedom Trail during a visit to Massachusetts. Back at home, Philippa discovers that no one can solve a problem like Maria when she takes on the leading role in a local production of "The Sound of Music."

While every story presents a puzzle of its own, Philippa's own story is interwoven throughout the book as she overcomes personal disappointments and forms new friendships. Ultimately, when she and her sister, Juliette, undertake a prestigious engagement at a high-society Christmas party, even the blanket of snow covering the Lower Mainland cannot quell her spirits as she realizes that someone who seemed an enemy in the past may well turn out to be a very special somebody in her future.