This cosy seaside village may seem picture perfect, but there are sketchy secrets hiding in plain sight…Having left the big city behind, Sarah Vane is fully embracing her calmer life in the quaint coastal town of Merstairs. With more time for hobbies, she joins a very popular life drawing class at the local tea shop. But when their usual model, the ever-punctual Mr Williams, doesn’t turn up, Sarah’s worried. He’d been complaining of a cough just last week so she decides to check up on him.Arriving at his crooked little cottage, it appears the front door isn’t quite shut. Stepping inside, Sarah is shocked to find Mr Williams slumped in his armchair. Casting her eyes down to his coffee table she sees a generous slice of Victoria sponge with one perfectly sized bite taken from it. Is this a case of death by cake?As Sarah hunts around the cluttered cottage for clues, she finds that Mr Williams had a rather peculiar hobby. It seems that he was an avid collector of ladies’ delicates, and from the looks of it, all the washing lines of Merstairs have been raided. But could his quirky collection really be a motive for murder?But then the case takes a darker turn when another elderly resident is found dead after eating a slice of red velvet cake. Sarah starts to wonder – why would anyone target pensioners with a sweet tooth? And in a village known for some of the best cakes in the county, can Sarah find the culprit before another life is taken?A delightfully cozy, utterly compulsive and gripping murder mystery, perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, Betty Rowlands and Katie Gayle who are looking for their next addictive read.Readers love the Sarah Vane Mysteries:‘Wow!!!… I absolutely LOVED this… had me hooked from the start to the end!!… Absolutely gorgeous… brilliant… amazing… incredible … absolutely smashed it out of the ballpark again!!!… completely sucked me in from beginning to end… a page-turner… I felt myself walking around with my kindle in my hand every chance I could get… filled with unexpected twists… absolutely fantastic… addictive… absolutely perfect.’ Bookworm86, ?????‘LOVED!… Many laughing moments!… A real page-turner… once start, you won't be able to put down until finished.’ Coffeeandpages2021, ?????‘Wow!… fantastic… I enjoyed every page… I loved the vivid scenery… I was chuckling throughout… unputdownable… Captivated me from the first to the last page.’ Goodreads reviewer, ?????‘Fantastic… I can't wait for this to come out and for y'all to lose your minds… You're going to want to read this one. I raced through it this weekend … Brilliantly plotted and compelling.’ Goodreads reviewer, ?????‘I read this in one day … laugh out loud… I highly recommend this book! More please!!!’ NetGalley reviewer, ?????‘Kept me glued to my Kindle! I loved the setting, the writing style. The main characters, and the antics of Hamish the Scotty dog.’ Goodreads reviewer, ?????‘A delight… twists and turns from start to finish… brilliant… highly recommended.’ Goodreads reviewer, ?????‘Gripping… The mystery was very intricate, the characters interesting and it took to the very last few pages for all the clues to fall into place… laugh out loud.’ NetGalley reviewer, ?????‘A total delight.’ Goodreads reviewer, ?????‘I love this series… it’s very easy to get sucked in and read the novel in one sitting.’ Thecosymoose, ?????

A cozy English village, a clueless city girl, and a cat who thinks he knows it all… She can't grow roses—but murder is blooming nicely. City girl Poppy never expected to inherit a lush cottage garden nursery—complete with a bossy ginger cat, nosy village neighbours, and an eccentric local inventor with questionable safety standards. Given her habit of accidentally killing every plant she touches, reviving the family business is tough enough without stumbling over a dead body among the roses!Now Poppy must solve the mystery or risk losing her new home and the chance for a fresh start. But who would want to harm a gardener in a sleepy English village? Could her mad-scientist neighbour have something to do with the killing? And why is her long-lost cousin so desperate for her to sell the cottage?Armed only with enthusiasm, terrible gardening skills, and the help of a very opinionated ginger tom, Poppy sets out to dig for clues. The only problem is: she could be digging her own grave too. If only solving murders were as easy as killing houseplants…This book follows British English spelling and usage.Clean read: no graphic violence, sex, or strong language.Genre: cat mystery / gardening cozy mystery / women amateur sleuth / British cozy mystery / cosy crime / funny cozy mystery / English village mystery / small town mysteryTHE ENGLISH COTTAGE GARDEN MYSTERIESDeadhead and Buried (Book 1)Silent Bud Deadly (Book 2)Doom and Bloom (Book 3)Trowel and Error (Book 4)Fronds and Enemies (Book 5)Too Mulch to Handle (Book 6)

She’s pursued the most dangerous news stories around the world. But can she survive going home?Injured in a bombing, war correspondent Kate Tessler returns to her hometown in Arizona to recover. For the first time in her life, she's starting to feel her age of nearly fifty despite living like a teenager again: staying in her childhood bedroom with only a cat for company, trying to understand why her sister resents her so much, and running into people who still refer to her as Kitty. The hardest part? Seeing her once-sharp and witty mother stuck in an Alzheimer's unit.When an old friend asks her to investigate suspicious deaths at the nursing home, Kate limps into action. Is a self-appointed "Angel of Mercy" killing patients to end their suffering? Are family members hastening their inheritance? Is an employee extorting money and removing the witnesses? Kate uses her journalism skills to track clues, but the puzzle pieces simply won’t fit.If Kate can't uncover the truth quickly, her mother could be next on the killer's list.