Trouble In The Town Hall (without dust jacket)

The Story

Readers and reviewers were unanimous in their praise for Jeanne M. Dams's first Dorothy Martin mystery, The Body in the Transept. Trouble in the Town Hall finds Dorothy facing a serious dilemma: The house in which she's living is in dire need of repair, but before anything can be done, she must get the approval of the Sherebury Planning Committee. As the rain finds new places in the roof through which to leak, Dorothy is more than ready to accept a luncheon invitation from Alan Nesbitt, chief constable and her own chief beau. On her way to meet him, however, she notices some movement in the abandoned Town Hall, and being a confirmed snoop... At first, Ada Finch, the cleaning lady who has been hired to keep the woodwork nice until something is done with the building, is pleased to have the company. All too soon, she's thankful for Dorothy's presence: Discovering a body is so much easier when someone is with you. A greater unpleasantness comes a while later; as Dorothy and Alan prepare to leave thebuilding, she notices that the corpse's arms have been moved...and its eyes closed. The old Town Hall had been a battle site for the Planning Committee for some time now; with the discovery of the body, the war was taking on a new dimension, and Dorothy Martin had inadvertently landed on the front lines.