Summer 1952.
The sun is shining, the birds are singing, but Charity Nicholls is bored of her quiet life in a tiny English village where nothing ever happens. Other than her nagging, marriage-obsessed mother, all she has to fill the time are her dreams of becoming a writer, and the Sleuthing Club – the mystery-reading book club she attends every week.
But everything changes the day her father receives a poison pen letter.
With the help of the Sleuthing Club, particularly handsome Henry Taylor, Charity is determined to find the culprit. But when people start dying and the police arrive, led by the infuriating Inspector James Lawrence, her little village becomes a hotbed of crime.
Can Charity find the murderer before anyone else dies?
Perfect for fans of Helena Dixon and T E Kinsey.
Purchase Links
US – https://www.amazon.com/Death-Remembered-Sleuthing-Club-Mystery-ebook/dp/B088FR2J99/
Extract
The only good thing about being a vicar’s daughter was that you could stop people and ask to speak to them, and everyone assumed it was something to do with the church or some private matter it would be improper to enquire about. In Henry’s case, they would assume that her father wanted to speak to him about his welfare since his mother’s death or see if there was anything he could do to help.
When he turned, Charity noticed his eyes were flecked with shades of green and violet as if they were a prism caught in the light. Being taller than her by about a foot, he looked down at her and cocked his head. ‘What can I do for you, Charity?’
They began strolling back towards the green, and he pulled his case of cigarettes from his inside jacket pocket. Placing one between his lips, he took a polished silver lighter and lit it, then blew out a long, slow breath of smoke that lingered in the air. She liked the way he said her name, but pushed the thought aside.
‘Something’s happened, and I wanted to ask your opinion. I don’t know what you did in the War Office …’ She let the words hang in the air, hoping he would volunteer something, but he didn’t. ‘But everyone says it was terribly clever and responsible, and I wondered if you could help me figure out what to do.’
Henry stopped and placed one hand in his trouser pocket and, with the other, removed his cigarette. ‘This all sounds very cryptic.’
She fiddled with the front of her satchel as she outlined everything to do with her father and Lizzy Hislop and the letters. When she’d finished, Henry chuckled. It was a most unfitting response, in Charity’s opinion, and annoyance rose within her. She crossed her arms over her chest. ‘Why on earth are you laughing? There’s nothing funny about this situation, Henry. Most inappropriate.’
He took another drag on his cigarette, watching her all the time, then his face softened. ‘I’m sorry. I was just thinking how everyone thinks London is this exciting place to be, but, truly, more things happen in quiet country villages. Nothing as interesting as this went on when I was in town.’
Charity accepted his answer without further reproach and asked, ‘What do you think I should do?’
‘Well, as we’re members of the Sleuthing Club, how about we sleuth?’
Her heart beat a little faster. ‘We?’
‘As much as I love clearing the house of all my mother’s belongings, I do get a bit bored with it. And it doesn’t seem like this is simply a practical joke, does it? If it is, it’s in very poor taste and not the work of a child, I’d wager. Not to mention that your father and Lizzy are such unlikely targets.’
Charity hadn’t thought of that. Out of all the people in the village, why choose her father and Lizzy? Lizzy was as lovely as could be, and while she might be biased, she knew her father didn’t have a bad bone in his body. Could other people have received a letter and not admitted it to anyone? Could this problem be even more widespread?
‘If Lizzy received a letter last week,’ Charity said, thinking aloud, ‘and my father one today, exactly one week later, then we know it’s been going on for at least two weeks. Perhaps other people have had letters and they’ve told Tipps?’
‘Or ignored them completely,’ Henry said, rocking back on his heels. ‘More likely they’d destroy them rather than admit it.’
Charity didn’t lack intelligence, she knew that. She’d been smarter than most of the girls at school, but being trapped here in Harrington Without, she didn’t know the world the way other people did. The boredom of her life had dulled her brain cells. ‘What do you think I should do next?’
‘You mean we?’ Henry said, and his smile lifted her spirits.
‘All right then. We.’
He took another long drag on his cigarette. The smell of tobacco, mixed with the floral scents carrying on the evening air, made it intoxicating. Henry’s charming grin returned. ‘We go a sleuthing, dear girl.’
Author Bio –
K E Coburn lives by the seaside in Kent, England, and spends her time plotting murders and mayhem for her imaginary friends in the Sleuthing Club!
As well as having a master’s degree in history, she’s a huge fan of everything vintage, especially the 1950s, and loves researching this interesting period. Nothing makes her happier than looking at old photographs, drinking old-fashioned cocktails, and doing as little work as possible.
Her debut novel Death Remembered: A Sleuthing Club Mystery (Book 1) will be published in July 2020.
If you fancy keeping up to date with her murderous plots you can find her on Twitter at @KeCoburn or at her website: www.kecoburn.com and on Facebook at: https://bit.ly/2SYgQSo
or at her website: www.kecoburn.com and on Facebook at: https://bit.ly/2SYgQSo
Everything Is Better With Dragons 