The Dagger Before Me by Jeanne M. Dams

Dorothy and Alan are back again.  Dorothy is getting cabin fever and wants to do some traveling.  Alan has been reading an old history book and suggests she might want to go see some of the buildings mentioned in there.  She's amenable to that suggestion and they do that for a while.  Then they get an invitation to come and stay for the baptizing of a young son and become his godparents.  That sounds good to them, the father of the child was someone Alan knew long ago, and Dorothy has never seen that part of the country.  No one expected what came next...

Severn House and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published June 1st.

The first disaster they find is that the dagger that is supposed to be part of the ceremony is missing.  It's a family heirloom and it's always used when baptizing the next male heir to the house and grounds.  Without it, they can't baptize the baby or they'll lose that inheritance.  Who would have taken it from the cupboards?  Where did it go?

If that wasn't bad enough, a woman is found dead in the hotel.  She's been stabbed by a dagger but not the missing one; she's been exposed to smoke inhalation; and, she's been poisoned.  She had just informed the father of the baby that she was his mother.  Which probably means he can't inherit that property.  

What a mess Dorothy and Alan have found.  They try to help the young father because the police like the father as a suspect.  Dorothy finds the dagger outside in the snow.  Alan discovers the lawyer he's been using has been embezzling.  How does this all add up?

The killer is a shock.  Ms. Dams always writes a good mystery and this is another of them.  I really enjoy the team of Dorothy and Alan.  They make good investigators.