Murder In The Orchard

A novel about revenge, obsession, and the dangerous gullibility of religious fanatics. In 1944, in the outer-Melbourne suburb of Nunawading, a brutal triple murder heralds the return of a long-forgotten cult. A man named Anthony Prescott has declared himself the Messiah and has promised his followers immortality. There are those who believe him and who are ready to kill in his name. Inspector Titus Lambert of the Melbourne Homicide unit, whose detectives are over-stretched, requests the discreet assistance of Helen Lord and Joe Sable, once members of his unit, now private inquiry agents. The investigation is more perilous than any of them realise, and will have tragic consequences. The Orchard Murdersis the fourth novel in Robert Gott's acclaimed series, set in Melbourne during the dark days of the Second World War.

A beautiful house nestles in an orchard, where a blackbird sings at dawn each morning from a branch laden with rosy fruit... but underneath the trees a body lies too still to be asleep. Melissa Craig is struggling with her new novel, so when the invitation arrives to visit a nearby country house for some writing time, she decides a bit of peace and quiet is just what she needs. The house is everything she could have hoped for, even if the staff do seem rather unsettled... She has barely unpacked when the owner of the house persuades Melissa to investigate some threatening notes he has received. But before she can do any digging, he is found murdered in his own orchard. As she starts to probe further, Melissa realises that the dead man was universally disliked. Controlling, tight with money and nasty, he certainly made some enemies. But who could have hated him enough to resort to murder? His seemingly timid wife, the secretary with whom he previously had an affair or perhaps the gardener with an old secret? With the police looking for an outsider, Melissa is sure the murderer is close at hand. But can she prove it? And can she unmask the killer before they strike again? A completely unputdownable mystery for fans of Faith Martin, Joy Ellis and P.D. James that will have you totally hooked. This book was previously published as Malice Poetic. What readers are saying about Betty Rowlands: 'Hooked from the first pages... wonderful... fascinating, full of twists and turns... kept me guessing till the end.' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars 'Brilliant... I read this book in one sitting and could not put it down. I would highly recommend this book to anyone.' NetGalley Reviewer, 5 stars 'An absolutely addictive, wonderful story. Loved it from start to finish. Great pace and a delightful setting, colourful characters and thrilling mystery. This was a brilliant story and I cannot wait for more!' Renita D'Silva, author of The Forgotten Daughter, 5 stars

The peaceful atmosphere of the Reverend Mother's annual retreat is shattered by sudden, violent death in this gripping historical mystery. 1920s. Cork, Ireland. The Reverend Mother regrets the bishop's decision to invite the five candidates for the position of Alderman of the City Council to join them for their annual retreat. Constantly accosted by ambitious, would-be politicians hoping to secure the bishop's backing, she's finding the week-long sojourn at the convent of the Sisters of Charity anything but peaceful. What she doesn't expect to encounter however is sudden, violent death. When a body is discovered in the convent's apple orchard cemetery, blown to pieces by a makeshift bomb, it is assumed the IRA are responsible. But does the killer lie closer to home? Was one of the candidates so desperate to win the election they turned to murder? Does someone have a hidden agenda? Once again, the Reverend Mother must call on her renowned investigative skills to unearth the shocking truth.

The peaceful atmosphere of the Reverend Mother’s annual retreat is shattered by sudden, violent death in this gripping historical mystery. 1920s. Cork, Ireland. The Reverend Mother regrets the bishop’s decision to invite the five candidates for the position of Alderman of the City Council to join them for their annual retreat. Constantly accosted by ambitious, would-be politicians hoping to secure the bishop’s backing, she’s finding the week-long sojourn at the convent of the Sisters of Charity anything but peaceful. What she doesn’t expect to encounter however is sudden, violent death. When a body is discovered in the convent’s apple orchard cemetery, blown to pieces by a makeshift bomb, it is assumed the IRA are responsible. But does the killer lie closer to home? Was one of the candidates so desperate to win the election they turned to murder? Does someone have a hidden agenda? Once again, the Reverend Mother must call on her renowned investigative skills to unearth the shocking truth.

When Anna Lister’s father is one of five people who die mysteriously at Packart’s Orchard in 1990, she is devastated. After the deaths, the orchard, owned by a respected family and a main source of employment in the small town of Windsmill, BC, struggles to find workers and falls into disrepair. In 2012, Albert Packart has finally found a good man to take over the daily operations—but tragedy strikes again. Twenty-three years after her father was taken from her, Anna's husband Jack dies at the orchard under strange circumstances, and she knows in her heart that the deaths are connected. Something or someone at the orchard is killing people, and she's determined to find the answers. When the local police won’t take her suspicions seriously, Anna hires a private investigator, and together they begin to unravel a fifty-year-old deadly secret.

The Orchard has been Helen Faulkner's refuge since childhood. Here imagination runs free, discovery rampant, and the opportunity to explore life's array abundant. At work, Helen is responsible for a just-in-time inventory system. Direct involvement with suppliers keeps her abreast of vendors, and surprised with the discovery of a payment to an unidentified supplier. Asking her boss, she suggests voiding the check, but he demands she leave it on his desk. Racing down the stairs after leaving his office, Helen falls and almost dies. From a flashback, she concludes the fall was no accident. To iron out the conflict, she returns to the orchard to reflect. Helen follows her instincts, and returns to the company while her boss is away during a board meeting. While there, she discovers an observation room, and that he is leader of a group stealing from the company. This meeting confirms her worst fear. She finds her fall was no accident as executives plot to silence her permanently.

In 1944, in the outer-Melbourne suburb of Nunawading, the brutal deaths of a family herald the return of a long-forgotten cult. A man named Anthony Prescott has declared himself the Messiah, and has promised his followers immortality. There are those who believe him - and who are ready to kill in his name. Inspector Titus Lambert of the Melbourne Homicide unit, whose detectives are over-stretched, requests the discreet assistance of Helen Lord and Joe Sable: once members of his unit, now private inquiry agents. The investigation is more perilous than any of them realise, and will have tragic consequences.

In this latest Orchard mystery, amateur sleuth Meg Corey takes a bite out of crime... Some baby-faced chefs, fresh out of cooking school, are looking to open a restaurant in Granford. They plan on using local foods-great news for city girl banker-turned orchard owner Meg Corey. Yet when one of the chefs is found dead, face-down in a farmer's pig wallow, plans come to a screeching halt. And Meg soon discovers they may have a locally grown killer on their hands.