Mr Edgar Nevett sends a note around with an offer: he thinks his family silver is cursed. Ned Mathey has no fondness for the Nevett family, but money is money, and there's probably no curse anyhow. In fact there isn't. Except two days later a silver candlestick flies across the room and bashes Nevett's brains out. Mathey drops by his old schoolmate (and old flame) Julian Lynes, who knows more about detectivizing than magic, and it's off to the murdery races.
Structurally this is cozy rather than noir; the protagonists are on the professional end of things, and the police inspector who's actually in charge of murder investigation rather likes them. Also there's a cozy big gay romance. Altogether I thought the authors went easy on them, but then in a family-feud murder mystery there's plenty of angst and suffering to go around.
Not as good as the "Points" books, but acceptable if you're impatient for Fair's Point to come along.