The Case Has Altered (Richard Jury Mysteries)

The accusation that Jenny Kensington, whom he has long loved, is behind the murders of two women recently connected with the Fengate estate, leads Richard Jury to the conclusion that he needs someone inside Fengate--someone who can impersonate an antiques expert. Enter Melrose Plant, detective manque. And in his wake follows a cast of characters that Martha Grimes's fans have come to love in this affecting story that is by turns crushingly sad and wonderfully funny.
Amazon.com Review
Richard Jury, the brooding Scotland Yard detective-hero of many of Martha Grimes's mysteries, is back in The Case Has Altered, but--as usual--his sidekick Melrose Plant steals the show. Set in the fens of Lincolnshire, Jury must investigate two murders in which his true love, Jenny Kennington, is a suspect. But while Jury deals with the evidence, Melrose uncovers the local color, interviewing everyone from uncommunicative pub owners to chatty cooks. Even murder seems a little less grim with Melrose Plant around.