Meet Julia Bird: recently single, reluctantly retired, and... an amateur sleuth? Julia Bird has left London for a fresh start in a picturesque Cotswolds village, and the rustic charm and cosy fireplaces of her little cottage are everything she'd hoped for. But when she tears down the old garden shed to make way for a chicken coop, she unearths much more than she'd bargained for... the body of a young woman, apparently buried for decades, thrusting Julia into a baffling mystery. With only one copper on the case in Berrywick, Julia decides to solve the who and whodunnit herself, taking her wayward puppy Jake along for the ride. And so begins a whirlwind tour of the village - from the dotty 90-year-old to the delightful doctor and the village gardener, it seems everyone has something to hide. Soon, Julia is convinced she has discovered the killer's identity, until Jake, a true Labrador, finds a new love of the local lake's waterfowl and instead ends up catching her chief suspect... drowned. Back at square one, with potential culprits galore, Julia - newly nicknamed the Grim Reaper - despairs at ever solving the murders. But as Julia ruffles feathers village-wide, the clock is ticking. There is someone in the village who has killed twice already. Will they be prepared to make it third time lucky to keep their secret safe? This totally addictive page-turning cozy mystery is perfect for fans of M.C. Beaton, Faith Martin and Betty Rowlands. Readers love Katie Gayle: 'Wow! I need to get my breath back after that... A lie down in a darkened room is also definitely required to recover!... Moves along at a break-neck pace.' Fiction Books Blog 'Katie Gayle never fails to keep me laughing, entertained, and trying to figure out the mystery til the very end. I absolutely adore this book... 10/10... This book is absolutely perfect!' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars 'Fantastic... I can't say enough good things about this book. I just loved every minute of reading it.' Fireflies & Freekicks 'Undoubtedly rollicking good fun. If the need to escape reality for a few hours presents itself, I can highly recommend this hilarious hullabaloo of a read.' NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars 'There is so much I adored about this book!... The perfect mixture of humour and mystery makes this book an absolute page turner that I would highly recommend to everyone!' Victoria Wilks Blog 'Thrilling and immensely enjoyable... An absolute joy to read... Will have readers laughing out loud and keep them glued to the pages from beginning to end.' Bookish Jottings 'A hilarious romp of a mystery.' NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars 'Compelling and compulsive... An uplifting, endlessly charming and highly original cosy mystery series... Filled with drama, action, twists... A fabulous, and much-needed, piece of escapism in these times.' Readers Retreat

Julia Bird's picturesque Cotswolds life is everything she'd dreamed of. Until, that is, she discovers a dead body in the library... Julia Bird had imagined the quiet of rural life would be soothing after years in the city, but she finds she can't just sit still. Determined to throw herself into village activities, she joins the library just in time to attend a talk by celebrated local author Vincent Andrews. Charming, devilishly handsome and talented, Vincent teases the crowd with a reading from his forthcoming novel. Set in a village bearing strange similarities to Berrywick, with characters the audience start to recognise, Vincent hints of dark secrets to be revealed, to gasps of outrage from the room. The meeting ends in uproar, and, just hours later, Vincent's dead body is discovered behind the bookshelves ... As one of the last people to see him alive, Julia feels morally bound to help the police investigate. With her trusty Labrador, Jake, at her side, she decides to do her own sleuthing on the sly and quickly discovers that Vincent's personal life is messy, his finances are in disarray and his book sales are declining. But most of all, remembering her neighbours' faces at the book reading, Julia wonders if one of them could have lost the plot enough to kill... As Julia interrogates the suspects, she walks straight into another scene of murder and mayhem, and realises Vincent's manuscript is now missing. There's someone out there who's deadly serious about keeping their secrets unpublished... Will Julia be able to stop them, before anyone else gets hurt? Brilliantly twisty, this completely thrilling cozy mystery is perfect for fans of M.C. Beaton, Helena Marchmont and Clare Chase. Readers love Katie Gayle: 'Wow! I need to get my breath back after that!... Moves along at a break-neck pace.' Fiction Books Blog 'Fantastic... I can't say enough good things about this book. I just loved every minute.' Fireflies & Freekicks 'Katie Gayle never fails to keep me laughing, entertained, and trying to figure out the mystery til the very end. I absolutely adore this book... 10/10... This book is absolutely perfect!' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars 'Undoubtedly rollicking good fun. If the need to escape reality for a few hours presents itself, I can highly recommend this hilarious hullabaloo of a read.' NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars 'There is so much I adored about this book!... The perfect mixture of humour and mystery makes this book an absolute page turner that I would highly recommend to everyone!' Victoria Wilks Blog 'Thrilling and immensely enjoyable... An absolute joy to read... Will have readers laughing out loud and keep them glued to the pages from beginning to end.' Bookish Jottings 'Uplifting, endlessly charming and highly original cosy mystery... Filled with drama, action, twists... A fabulous, and much-needed, piece of escapism in these times.' Readers Retreat

Move over Miss Marple, there's a new sleuth in town! Meet Eleanor Swift: distinguished adventurer, dog lover, dignified lady... daring detective? England, 1920. Eleanor Swift has spent the last few years travelling the world: taking tea in China, tasting alligators in Peru, escaping bandits in Persia and she has just arrived in England after a chaotic forty-five-day flight from South Africa. Chipstone is about the sleepiest town you could have the misfortune to meet. And to add to these indignities - she's now a Lady. Lady Eleanor, as she would prefer not to be known, reluctantly returns to her uncle's home, Henley Hall. Now Lord Henley is gone, she is the owner of the cold and musty manor. What's a girl to do? Well, befriend the household dog, Gladstone, for a start, and head straight out for a walk in the English countryside, even though a storm is brewing... But then, from the edge of a quarry, through the driving rain, Eleanor is shocked to see a man shot and killed in the distance. Before she can climb down to the spot, the villain is gone and the body has vanished. With no victim and the local police convinced she's stirring up trouble, Eleanor vows to solve this affair by herself. And when her brakes are mysteriously cut, one thing seems sure: someone in this quiet country town has Lady Eleanor Swift in their murderous sights... If you enjoy witty dialogue, glamorous intrigue and the very best of Golden Age mysteries, then you will adore Verity Bright's unputdownable whodunnit, perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, T.E. Kinsey and Downton Abbey!

Bookshop owner Flora Steele escapes the sleepy English village of Abbeymead through the adventures in the stories she sells. Until one morning, everything changes when she discovers a body amongst her own bookshelves... The young man with the shock of white-blond hair lay spread-eagled on the floor, surrounded by fallen books. His hand reached out to the scattered pages, as though he was trying to tell her something. But who is he? How did he come to be killed in Flora's ordinary little bookshop? Flora finds out he was staying at the Priory Hotel, and when the gardener suddenly dies in its beautiful grounds only a few days later, she is certain that something untoward is happening in her quiet village by the sea. But are the two deaths connected? And is someone at the hotel responsible - the nervous cook, the money-obsessed receptionist, or the formidable manageress? Determined to save her beloved bookshop's reputation and solve the murder mystery, Flora enlists the help of handsome and brooding Jack Carrington: crime writer, recluse and her most reliable customer. As the unlikely duo set about investigating the baffling case, guilty faces greet them at every door. And they soon realise there's more than one person hiding secrets in Abbeymead... The start of a brand-new murder mystery series featuring bookshop owner Flora Steele and crime writer Jack Carrington. Fans of Agatha Christie, Faith Martin and Joy Ellis will love this perfect cozy murder mystery novel. An utterly addictive story that will have you guessing until the very end. Why readers love Merryn Allingham: 'Excellent... the tension builds and builds right up to the last chapter... a page-turner.' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Love... so many twists and turns that kept me guessing most of the way through. Deserving of its 5 stars... highly recommend.' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'A roller coaster of suspense and intrigue. Grabs you from the first page. Entertaining and interesting characters. There are many twists and turns that will keep you turning the page until the end.' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Julia Bird loves the village pub quiz, but it seems one of her team won't make it to the next round alive... On the first Tuesday of each month, Julia Bird and her Agatha Quizteam teammates take part in Berrywick's village pub quiz. They take it seriously - what's the point of playing, after all, if you aren't in it to win it? But it seems someone connected with the quiz night has taken the competition to a whole new level when Lilian, the local police constable and all-round general knowledge expert, is found fatally stabbed after the evening's final round. With local DI Hayley Gibson stuck home with a broken leg and an incompetent Superintendent brought in from the nearby town, it's up to Julia to make sure the investigation stays focussed - whether they like it or not! While the police are convinced that the murderer is linked to Lilian's professional life, Julia turns her amateur sleuthing eye to suspects much closer to home. Perhaps Lilian's personal life could have something to do with the dreadful crime? When another quiz team member is attacked, Julia is finally put on the right track. But what could possibly be important - or dangerous - enough for two attendees of the pub quiz night to meet such foul ends over? Could the culprit really be among them on that busy Tuesday night? As Julia's race to identify the killer ramps up to desperate heights, she wonders, where will the murderous spree end? Perfect for fans of M.C. Beaton, Faith Martin and Betty Rowlands, Murder at the Inn is a brilliantly compelling English cozy mystery. Readers are loving the Julia Bird mysteries: 'There just aren't enough stars for this one, so I can only give it FIVE!! I'm so looking forward to the next book in the series!!' Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'I absolutely LOVED this... Julia Bird was an amazing and lovable character... Once I started it, I couldn't stop.' Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Fabulous... addictive... a witty and delightful crime novel full of delicious red herrings, rural mischief and bucolic charm that is impossible to put down.' Bookish Jottings 'Oh my, I loved Julia Bird... she is a delight! I can't wait for the next one!' MoongloTexas ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'I completed the book within a day... I would highly recommend this cosy crime page-turner as the perfect indulgent summer evening escape'. NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Really entertaining... I simply couldn't put the book down... Julia's life in the countryside with her newly adopted dog Jake was too enjoyable... I cannot wait to read for Julia Bird's next adventure!... Five stars!' Tropical Girl Reads Books ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Reminiscent of Agatha Christie... I loved everything about this book.' NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Meet Belinda Penshurst. Castle owner, dog lover... crime solver? Belinda Penshurst loves her home village Little Challham, with its shady lanes, two pubs and weekly market, and she's determined to keep it peaceful. She may live in Challham Castle but she knows almost everything that goes on under her nose. So when irritable pub landlord Tipper is found dead in his cellar, she's perfectly placed to investigate. Retired detective Harry Powell moved to Little Challham for a quiet life. He didn't expect to be dragged into a murder investigation. But the police don't seem half as enthusiastic as Belinda about the case, and there are strange things happening in the village. Particularly the number of dogs that have disappeared lately... Is there a dognapper snaffling schnauzers and luring away Labradors? Is Belinda barking mad to be worried that her brother Marcus was arguing with Tipper on the day he died? Belinda and Harry track down the suspects: the rival landlord, the outraged barmaid, the mysterious man in the black car following dogwalkers around. But are the dogged detectives running out of time to sniff out the killer, before he starts hounding them? A charming cozy mystery full of laughs and eccentric characters. Fans of M.C. Beaton, H.Y. Hanna and Emily Organ will love the first novel in the Belinda Penshurst series! See what readers are saying about Murder in the Village 'Wonderful... I absolutely adored this book! Had me reading and finishing the book in no time! I highly recommend this book! Stunning, a page-turner which stays long in the memory!' NetGalley reviewer 'What a great start to a new series!... A lively, spark-filled investigation... Wonderfully entertaining with the perfect set of ingredients.' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Charming... A super quick read perfect for the beach!' Bless Their Hearts Mom, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'A zany cast of characters, most of whom are suspected of being dognappers, murderers or both. A humorous mystery perfect for dog lovers' Goodreads reviewer 'Fun, full of mystery... Top notch cosy crime... Has a kind of Midsomer Murders vibe and in spite of the murderer on the loose, kept me smiling from start to finish... Fabulous... I can't wait to see what this fabulous duo get up to next. Fans of cosy mysteries (and dog lovers) are just going to eat this up.' Jen Med's Book Reviews 'Excellent village mayhem and murder' NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A perfect country garden is full of flowers and gently buzzing bees... But the man lying dead beneath the trees can no longer see the beautiful scene. Melissa Craig is thrilled that summer has arrived. She has decided to give up her career as an amateur sleuth and enjoy a quiet life in her beautiful cottage. The only digging in Melissa's life now happens in her garden. However, when a keen beekeeper is found dead, covered in multiple stings, her new resolve is tested. As she gets to know the family of the dead man, she realises he was no saint. Could someone have possibly wanted him dead? Could this be a very clever murder? As Melissa starts to probe the victim's friends and acquaintances, another member of the family is also stung to death. Who could have turned the bees against their keeper? And when will they strike again? With the residents of Upper Benbury now fearful to open their windows to the summer air, and the police treating the deaths as accidental, Melissa must solve this case herself. To find the killer with the sharpest sting, she may have to delve deep into the hive... If you can't get enough of mysteries by Agatha Christie, P.D. James or Faith Martin, you will love this unputdownable mystery novel.

Join Flora Steele - bookshop owner, bicycle rider, daydreamer and amateur detective - in her quest to solve a brand-new murder mystery! Cornwall, 1956: When Flora Steele sets off for a peaceful vacation with crime writer Jack Carrington in his little red Austin, the last thing she expects to find is a body at their pretty rental cottage! Shocked by the discovery, inquisitive Flora joins forces with handsome Jack to find out how the poor man came to such an untimely end in the overgrown orchard of Primrose Cottage. They discover Roger Gifford was a man with plenty of friends and the villagers seem devastated by his sudden death... So why was he murdered? And who has blood on their hands - his estranged wife Beatrice, his wayward younger brother Lionel, or the suspicious newcomer Mercy Dearlove? The baffling case gets even more complicated when a second man is found dead and a set of puzzling clues lead them to an intriguing wartime mystery connected to Jack's estranged father. As old secrets emerge and Jack receives an unsettling letter, it seems the crime writer is in danger of a fate befitting his fictional characters. Will Flora be able to crack the case and save Jack? Or will this be one murder too many for Flora Steele? Readers love the Flora Steele Mysteries: 'Wonderful book! I absolutely adored this... Had me reading and finishing the book in no time! I highly recommend!!!' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'I absolutely love this book! I was so captivated... I could not put this book down... I read this book in one sitting!... Amazing.' @thenerdandherbooks, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Absolutely fantastic... An addictive perfect mix of mystery, crime, suspense and quirkiness which kept me turning the pages late at night!! An explosive start to a new series!' Bookworm86, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'A joy to read... Full of mystery and secrets!... Truly an unstoppable read! And I loved every minute of it!' NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'I loved... A cozy, heart-warming, fast read. It felt like Scooby-Doo meets Agatha Raisin. I am here for it!... Delightful.' Frosta Wings It, ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Fantastic cozy mystery!... Fun to read... This author knows how to keep the reader's attention from the first chapter!' Books and Benches, ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Love... The story twisted along, with everyone becoming a suspect... A fab read, that I devoured in a day.' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'What a joy... Fabulous... Totally fantastic... I highly recommend this outstandingly fabulous book.' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Pace moves along as you keep turning the pages to find out whodunit. You'll find yourself rooting for Flora and Jack in more ways than one. I can't wait for the next book!' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐

A magnificent seaside hotel, striped deckchairs, strawberry ice cream... and a rather familiar dead body? Lady Swift is on the case! Spring, 1921. Lady Eleanor Swift, explorer extraordinaire and accidental sleuth, hasn't had a vacation since she arrived in England a year ago. Being an amateur detective can be a rather tiring business and she is determined to escape any more murder and mysteries. So she books into the Grand Hotel in the fashionable resort of Brighton for some fresh air, fish and chips and, of course, a dip in the ocean. Eleanor is enjoying her view of the waves and trying to find her bathing suit when calamity strikes: a guest has been found dead at her beautiful hotel. The distraught manager, who can't afford a scandal, asks Eleanor to solve the case as swiftly as possible. Thank goodness she has her partner in crime - Gladstone the bulldog - to help her sniff out the dastardly culprit. But when Eleanor enters the dead man's room, she receives a shock big enough to make her forget even the finest ice cream sundae. The body is that of her husband, who supposedly died six years ago on the other side of the world. Has he been alive all these years? Why does he have a copy of their wedding photograph with a cryptic message written on the back? If Eleanor can keep herself safe long enough to find her husband's killer, she might discover that everything is not quite as it seems beside the seaside... A warm and witty whodunnit! Fans of Agatha Christie, T E Kinsey and L.B. Hathaway will be utterly charmed by this addictive and absolutely gripping page-turner. Readers are totally addicted to Verity Bright! 'Can I give it six stars please?... Pretty much perfect... Bright has the amazing gift of bringing the reader into that world where the characters are alive.' Goodreads Reviewer ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 'I was literally on the edge of my seat until the last page trying to figure out the mystery. It's an adorable, captivating book.' Washington Life Magazine