A baffling burglary. A suspicious death. Can an up-and-coming amateur sleuth sort coincidence from crime?



Northern England, 1954. Miss Pauline Riddell is determined to stay busy. Grieving for her fiancé killed in Korea, the churchgoing young woman welcomes the distraction of viewing a priceless religious treasure on loan to her local cathedral. But when her inspector friend approaches her for unofficial assistance, she's horrified to learn the artifact on exhibit is a replica . . . and the original has gone missing.



Bent on ferreting out the truth, Miss Riddell is hampered by orders to conceal any hint of the theft to the public. And as she doggedly tries to discover if there's a link to the body found outside a nearby pub, she runs afoul of demanding nationalists, incensed Catholics, and angry activists.



Can she untangle the mess of motives before the relic is lost forever?



The Past Never Dies is the evocative third book in the Miss Riddell Cozy Mysteries series. If you like daring damsels, quirky casts of characters, and rich historical details, then you'll love P. C. James's enchanting tale.