The fire wasn't an accident. Mrs. Meade hopes it wasn't what the sheriff thinks it is.
Mrs. Meade had been looking forward to a pleasant visit with old friends—but their house party turns to disaster when a fire destroys the house during the night. Even worse, the fire appears to have been deliberately set. Which of the people who were in the house that night is responsible? There are several possibilities, and Mrs. Meade is not sure which is the most distressing…
"The Oldest Flame" is a novelette, approximately 17,800 words long.
If you're a fan of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple and Anna Katharine Green's Miss Amelia Butterworth, you'll love this quick trip back to the mountain West of the Edwardian era, with a shrewd lady sleuth to apply her wits to its puzzles.