A Fatal Footnote by Margaret Loudon has Penelope Parish attending the wedding of American author Charlotte Davenport and Arthur Worthington, the Duke of Upper Chumley-on-Stoke. It is a lavish weekend that ends with a bang when Cissie Emmoth, the Duke’s former girlfriend, is found dead just as the fireworks are about to begin. Charlotte asks Penelope to investigate when her new husband becomes the prime suspect. Penelope asks questions, observes, obtains local gossip, and digs up clues in her quest for the truth. A Fatal Footnote is the 2nd book in The Open Book Mystery series. I recommend reading this series in order. I have not had the opportunity to indulge in Murder in the Margins, and I felt it when I started A Fatal Footnote. There are some entertaining, quirky characters in this series. They go with the quaint town of Upper Chumley-on-Stoke. The author captured the setting with her vivid descriptions. The whodunit has a variety of suspects along with misdirection. I enjoyed solving this fun mystery. I liked that it was a lively mystery and that Detective Maguire got one up on the stoic Met detective. I would have preferred a better wrap up because at the end of A Fatal Footnote, I was left with a couple of unanswered questions. When not writing or investigating, Penelope must deal with her sister who arrived unexpectedly. Beryl King is going through a rough time and needed to escape. Penelope is a little surprised (and dismayed) Beryl chose to visit her since they are not close sisters. A Fatal Footnote is a cute cozy mystery an American romance author, an anxious sister, a desperate duchess, a riot of rumors, and tons of tea. ( )

Margaret Loudon is the pen name for Peg Cochran. As mentioned in my review of Book 1, "This series seemed the best for my introduction to her writing as I couldn't resist the thoughts of an author experiencing a writer-in-residence position at The Open Book bookstore in Upper Chumley-on-Stoke, England."

I pre-ordered Book 2 and it was such fun to return to Upper Chumley-on-Stoke. Penelope (Pen for short) Parish, an American gothic writer and the bookstore owner, Mabel Morris, a former MI6 analyst are attending a wedding of one of Penelope's new friends and the wedding festivities are beyond anything the bride and groom and their guests could have imagined. Pen's sleuthing is in high gear but I did start to tire of the endless trips to Worthington House. They were becoming a little too repetitive and the continued coincidences of Pen not being seen by anyone other than the person she wanted to see during that particular visit became questionable.

Mabel didn't have as much input this time to the investigation other than as listener and I liked her broader role in Book 1. Figgy continues to serve tea and scones at all the right moments and I never tire of reading of Mrs. Danvers, Pen's tuxedo cat and the descriptions of her disdain when food and water dishes are not filled "on time." The arrival of Pen's sister Beryl does add a new element of interest.

Another delightful English cozy that does leave me wishing Figgy could serve readers her delicious treats too. ( )

A Fatal Footnote is the second book in The Open Book Mysteries series by Margaret Loudon.

Having become friends with Charlotte Davenport, Penelope Parish has been invited to the wedding of Duke Arthur Worthington and Charlotte at his estate in Upper Chumley-on-Stoke. Fortunately for Penny, Figg, who runs the teashop at Open Book, where Penny is writer-in-resident, has also received an invitation to the celebration. After the wedding, there was a ball at Duke Worthington’s estate. Figg pointed out various guests, and they chatted with a few. Then one of the guests came running into the room screaming that there was a dead body outdoors. The body is that of Lady Cissie Winterbourne. Cissie owns a dress shop, and her shop had designed and made Charlotte’s wedding dress. Several guests saw her go outdoors, but most thought she had gone outdoors for a smoke.

Penny soon begins to listen to the guest’s conversations, trying to learn more about who might have wanted Cissie dead. She will share anything she knows when Detective Brodie Maguire arrives. Penny and Maguire met during a previous case and have become friends. They understand that she may be able to get the locals to share more than the police might be able to obtain.

As the investigation proceeds, it will soon be learned that there are many possible suspects—possibly someone from Cissie’s dress shop, Cissie’s husband, and others. Even Duke Worthington will become suspected, Cissie was his ex-girlfriend, and it turns out his polo mallet was used to kill Cissie.

I love the characters in this series. I like the characters of Penny and Maguire. They seem to enjoy each other’s company and the dinner out and seem not to be rushing into a relationship If there is to be one. Mabel, the owner of Open Book, India, a distant relation of the duke, Gladys, a shop owner, and Figg are all engaging and always there to support Penny, be she editing her latest manuscript or engaging in sleuthing.

The book is well-written and plotted. There were enough twists and turns that I was kept guessing until the end as to who the killer was.

I will be watching for the next book in this beautiful series. ( )