MURDER AT THE VILLAGE POND

When the village pond in Meadowbrook Hollow is drained early for the summer fete, the last thing anyone expects to find lying among the reeds is a body. Josie Fairleigh only meant to deliver a basket of scones for the fete committee. Instead, she finds herself pulled into the middle of a murder that touches nearly every familiar face on the green.

The victim is Ambrose Colby, a land agent with a decade-long habit of pressuring villagers to sell up, and a gift for finding exactly where his neighbors were most vulnerable. By the time Detective Inspector Julian Thackeray arrives to investigate, half of Meadowbrook Hollow has a reason to have wanted him gone, including a dear friend of Josie's who stands to lose everything if suspicion settles on her first.

With the summer fete only days away and the whole village determined to carry on with duck races and cake competitions despite the shadow hanging over them, Josie must sort truth from fear, one careful conversation at a time, before an innocent person pays for a crime they didn't commit. As old grudges surface and new secrets come to light, she'll need every ounce of patience, warmth, and quiet determination she has, with a little help from her ever-watchful corgi, Toffee, and rather more from a certain steady-handed inspector than she cares to admit.

Cozy, clever, and full of village, Murder at the Village Pond is a fair-play historical mystery for readers who love their crime solved over a pot of tea. If you enjoy gentle 1920s mysteries with amateur sleuths, slow-burn romance, and a community with memorable characters, settle in with Josie and Toffee today.