A Very Lively Murder

One murder mystery movie. Three Dahlias. And a whole cast of suspects... Ex child star Posy Starling is finally filming her dream role - Dahlia Lively in The Lady Detective movie. But things take a nightmare turn when a prop weapon is replaced with the real thing - with almost fatal consequences for her fellow Dahlia, Rosalind King. There's something very wrong on the set of The Lady Detective - which means it's time to call in Caro Hooper, so the three Dahlias can investigate. In between filming scenes, signing autographs for locals, photoshoots on set and jetting off to France for an impromptu party, the three Dahlias do what they do best - surreptitiously sleuth. And very soon the evidence starts to point towards one particular co-star... But before they can prove it, a murder rocks the production. And this time, with a storm raging, the river flooded and the bridge washed out, there are no police to rely on so it's up to the three Dahlias to stop a murderer in their tracks... before another victim is claimed. Praise for A Very Lively Murder 'A truly entertaining crime novel in the Three Dahlias series, very much in the Agatha Christie tradition, and I hope this series will continue' Shots Magazine 'Will please those who liked the opening book' The Critic Praise for Katy Watson 'An absolute treat of a read with all the ingredients of a vintage murder mystery: a country house, mysterious dead bodies and three actresses all keen to catch the killer. Perfect weekend reading!' Janice Hallett, author of The Appeal 'Celebrates and gently satirises Golden Age crime novels in a hugely entertaining country house mystery' The Times 'Dame Agatha would approve' Daily Mail 'A wonderful celebration of Golden Age crime. . . a read you can sink into, just like the perfect country house weekend. You will definitely love Dahlia in all her guises by the end' S.J. Bennett, author of The Windsor Knot 'I loved it - witty, engaging and hugely enjoyable. A must for fans of classic mysteries' Frances Brody 'An affectionate homage to the Golden Age of Detective Fiction and a wry nod to our continuing fascination with it. Great fun. Warm, ingenious and. . . lively!' L C Tyler 'A sprightly offering. . . a pleasant summer read' The Critic 'A pleasure to read from beginning to end' Shots 'A fun, 1930s style murder-mystery, which makes for perfect holiday reading' Woman's Weekly 'Perfect Holiday Read' Woman and Home 'Smartly executed with wit and a cunning plot' Peterborough Telegraph 'A cosy whodunnit told with modern flair' Yours

'An absolute treat of a read with all the ingredients of a vintage murder mystery: a country house, mysterious dead bodies and three actresses all keen to catch the killer. Perfect weekend reading!' Janice Hallett, author of The Appeal 'Celebrates and gently satirises Golden Age crime novels in a hugely entertaining country house mystery' The Times ---------- Three rival actresses team up to solve a murder at the stately home of the author who made them famous - only to discover the solution lies in the stories themselves. A contemporary mystery with a Golden Age feel, perfect for fans of Agatha Christie and Jessica Fellowes. In attendance: the VIP fans, staying at Aldermere; the fan club president turned convention organiser; the team behind the newest movie adaptation of Davenport's books; the Davenport family themselves - and the three actresses famous for portraying Lettice's 1930s detective, Dahlia Lively. National treasure Rosalind King, from the original movies. TV Dahlia for thirteen seasons, Caro Hooper. And ex-child star Posy Starling, fresh out of the fame wilderness (and rehab) to take on the Dahlia mantle for the new movie. Each actress has her own interpretation of the character - but this English summer weekend they will have to put aside their differences, as the crimes at Aldermere turns anything but cosy. When fictional death turns into real bodies, can the three Dahlias find the answers to the murders among the fans, the film crew, the family - or even in Lettice's books themselves? ---------- PRAISE FOR THE THREE DAHLIAS 'Dame Agatha would approve' Daily Mail 'The perfect holiday read' Woman and Home 'A wonderful celebration of Golden Age crime. . . a read you can sink into, just like the perfect country house weekend. You will definitely love Dahlia in all her guises by the end' S.J. Bennett, author of The Windsor Knot 'A sprightly offering. . . a pleasant summer read' The Critic 'A fun, 1930s style murder-mystery, which makes for perfect holiday reading' Woman's Weekly 'A cosy whodunnit told with modern flair' Yours

Campbell and Carter are back in their toughest case yet in the seventh Cotswold village crime novel following An Unfinished Murder. Two years ago, Miff Ferguson chose to opt out of the rat race. Since then he’s been living rough and happily so. Until now. For as the first signs of winter approach, everything in his life is uprooted. While looking for shelter, Miff stumbles across the corpse of a young woman in a dilapidated warehouse. Quickly realizing he is not alone, and has been spotted, Miff becomes embroiled in a game of cat-and-mouse with a killer that forces him to abandon his life and take refuge with his aunt and uncle in the village of Weston St Ambrose. But despite his best efforts to lie low, trouble seems to follow him everywhere, and when another dead body is discovered at a local farm, it’s clear Miff is not free from danger. With the clock ticking, Inspector Jess Campbell and Superintendent Ian Carter must join forces with the team of police at Bamford to piece together the puzzle before another innocent life is lost . . . Praise for the writing of Ann Granger “A well-written, well-crafted traditional British mystery by a writer with an assured grasp of her technique.” —reviewingtheevidence.com “Characterization, as ever with Granger, is sharp and astringent.” —The Times “The story just gets more complex, mysterious and chilling.” —Good Book Guide “For once a murder novel which displays a gentle touch and a dash of wit.” —The Northern Echo “A clever and lively book.” —Margaret York

Cassie O'Malley is back in a Christmas mystery that will keep you laughing and guessing until the final showdown. At odds with her new boss, tabloid reporter Cassie O'Malley finds herself covering the shopping mall at Christmas. Cassie wants nothing to do with the assignment. Then Big Mack turns up dead in the men's room, his throat slit. Sensing an opportunity for fifteen minutes of fame, mall security guard Oliver Berryhill spins a heroic tale of his confrontation in the men's room with the loan shark. The police are skeptical, but Big Mack's son, the even bigger Little Mack is determined to avenge his father's murder. Barely a week later, a second body turns up in the employee break room and Cassie finds herself covering a double homicide. In a race against time, Cassie must solve the double murder before a third victim is killed in this wildly funny mystery.

Perfect for fans of Jenn McKinlay and Kate Carlisle, in Agatha award-winning author Cynthia Kuhn’s series debut, small-town bookseller and literary event planner Emma Starrs is out to close the book on a killer intent on crashing the party. To help save her family’s floundering Colorado bookstore, Starlit Bookshop, newly minted Ph.D. Emma Starrs agrees to plan a mystery-themed dinner party for her wealthy, well-connected high school classmate Tabitha Baxter. It’s a delightful evening of cocktails and conjecture until Tabitha’s husband, Tip—hosting the affair in the guise of Edgar Allan Poe’s detective C. Auguste Dupin—winds up murdered. In a heartbeat, Emma and her aunt Nora, a famous mystery writer, become suspects. Emma is sure the party’s over for Starlit events, until celebrated author Calliope Nightfall, whose gothic sensibilities are intrigued by the circumstances, implores the bookseller to create a Poe-themed launch event for her latest tome. Throwing a bash to die for while searching for additional clues is already enough to drive Emma stark raven mad, but another shocking crime soon reveals that Silvercrest has not yet reached the final chapter of the puzzling case. Someone in this charming artistic community has murder on the mind, and if Emma cannot outwit the killer, she and her beloved aunt will land behind bars, to walk free nevermore.

In 1970s England, a broke nobleman and a body in a suit of armor present a puzzling mystery in this witty novel by a Diamond Dagger Award winner. It is the early 1970s, and times are tough in the upper reaches of British society. To survive the changing times, the Earl of Ornum has done the previously unthinkable and opened his estate to wandering tourists. One day, a hyperactive little boy and his family are roaming Ornum House delightedly. The curious tyke sees a full suit of armor and lifts the visor . . . only to see a face staring out at him. As Detective Inspector C. D. Sloan soon finds, the man in the suit of armor is dead—and there’s a slew of suspects waiting to be interviewed. Was it the ditzy duchess? The disappointing nephew? One of the servants? The earl himself? It’s up to Sloan and his wisecracking sidekick, Detective Constable Crosby, to find out before the murderer strikes again.

Early on the morning of May 6, 1840, the elderly Lord William Russell was found in his London house with his throat so deeply cut that his head was nearly severed. The crime soon had everyone, including Queen Victoria, feverishly speculating about motives and methods. But when the prime suspect claimed to have been inspired by a sensational crime novel, it sent shock waves through literary London and drew both Dickens and Thackeray into the fray. Could a novel really lead someone to kill? In Murder by the Book, Claire Harman blends a riveting true-crime whodunit with a fascinating account of the rise of the popular novel and the early battle for its soul among the most famous writers of the day.