The Family Vault

A mislaid corpse strikes terror in the hearts of Boston’s strangest family

Like many old New England families, the Kellings live to die. Although their family vault is spacious and comfortable, for Sarah Kelling’s Great-Uncle Frederick it will not do. In his will, he demands to be buried inside the ancient family tomb at Boston Common, which hasn’t admitted a new member in over a century. But when the Kellings crack the old vault’s door, they find a recently built brick wall. And behind it lays a surprisingly fresh corpse—a skeleton with rubies in its teeth.

Her name was Ruby Redd, and many years ago she was the toast of Boston’s burlesque scene. Her murder case is ice cold, but when Sarah begins investigating it, she finds that the burning passions behind this beauty’s death still burn white hot. With the help of art-fraud investigator Max Bittersohn, she will solve the stripper’s murder, or take her own place in the family vault.

“In this delightful mystery, Max and Sarah make a strong claim to being the Nick and Nora Charles of the 1990s, urbane, witty and thoroughly appealing.” —Publishers Weekly

“If this is your first meeting with Sarah Kelling, oh how I envy you!” —Margaret Maron, author of The Buzzard Table

“One of the most gifted mystery authors writing today.” —Sojourner: The Women's Forum

“The screwball mystery is Charlotte MacLeod’s cup of tea.” —Chicago Tribune

“Charlotte MacLeod does what she does better than anybody else does it; and what she does is in the top rank of modern mystery fiction.” —Elizabeth Peters, creator of the Amelia Peabody series

“The epitome of the ‘cozy’ mystery.” —Mostly Murder

“MacLeod can be counted on for a witty, literate and charming mystery.” —Publishers Weekly

“Charm, wit, and Holmesian logic.” —AudioFile