M.C. Beaton
As far as I can tell, the only difference between YA and (not "literary value/highly symbolic") Adult Literature is the presence of alcohol and romance. The romance in this one isn't too graphic, but not child appropriate.
I enjoyed the fact the book is British, using words like "trainers" and British spellings. I was very disappointed that the skeleton was not literal. They kept doing home renovations, and I kept hoping.... Overall, I found the book a bit of a slow read, excessive time spent describing colours, clothes, and the weather, as well as timid protagonists. My first thought was that the weather was symbolic, but as a book labeled as a mystery, I feel the book's entertainment qualities are as important as meaning.
Fellworth Dolphin is a sheltered, duty-bound son. By the time his parents die, he is middle-aged and feels that life has passed him by. He can't drive, never went to college, and never visited nearby London. When his family comes for the funeral, he tells his Aunt Agnes that he is engaged to Maggie Partlett, a fellow server with him at the Palace. She poses as his fiancee at the funeral, and he tells her about the large inheritance his father left him in the bank, as well as a mysterious box of cash he found in the house. Maggie moves into his house, and soon they are working together to investigate a train robbery in which his father was a suspect. In the end, an expensive dress worn by Gloria Lewis, (former) Inspector Rudfern's daughter, leads them to get a full confession from her father.
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