Blood Will Tell: A cozy mystery set in Cambridge, England (A Dorothy Martin Mystery, 17)

American Anglophile Dorothy Martin tackles a tricky puzzle in the historic university town of Cambridge Dorothy Martin isn't overly enthusiastic when her husband, retired police detective Alan Nesbitt, invites her to accompany him to a conference in Cambridge, picturing cramped student accommodation. But St Stephen's turns out to be recently renovated, and, bolstered by en suite facilities, Dorothy is looking forward to exploring the historic and beautiful city. It is not long, though, before disaster strikes: lost in the maze of college buildings, Dorothy stumbles into a laboratory . . . and is shocked to find what looks like a pool of blood on the floor. She flees, to fetch help, but when Alan checks it out, there is nothing to be found. Was she mistaken? Or has a terrible crime been committed? Dorothy, who can never resist a puzzle, determines to find out. An undergraduate prank or the tell-tale taint of murder?Dorothy Martin’s instincts have never failed her yet. Until now — here in St Stephen’s College, Cambridge. The place is a maze of halls and walls and doors.Dorothy should be able to find her way out. Instead she must admit to being hopelessly lost.Panic rising in her chest, she reaches for any door handle she can grasp. She stumbles into a lab. But she’s not alone.A flash of white coat, slipping through the exit.A pool of blood at her feet.Dorothy races from the scene. Minutes later, she returns with help — but the floor has already been scrubbed clean.Did she just witness the ultimate crime?