Death in an English Village

When the family gardener is murdered near a site of legendary buried treasure, dog-lover and mystery-solver Cressida Fawcett is on the case!

1926, Sussex. The Honourable Cressida Fawcett is delighted to return to her parents’ rambling mansion to introduce them to her pug Ruby’s puppies. But when the pups go running off with Cressida in hot pursuit, they lead her to a bubbling stream – Hell’s Ditch. And the body of Bob the gardener is floating there, his outstretched hand clutching a soggy cheese and pickle sandwich.

Everyone assumes Bob died of natural causes. But when Cressida finds a glittering gold coin grasped in his other fist, she realises this is part of the long-hidden Saxon hoard. Was Bob struck down by the gold’s ancient curse? As Cressida interviews the colourful members of the local historical society, she learns that Bob had been boasting of new-found wealth, much to the annoyance of his wife, and perhaps deadly jealousy of the other members…

Luckily for Cressida, eminent historian Sir James Colston, friend of the family, arrives at the mansion with tantalising information on the whereabouts of the rest of the Saxon gold. He promises to tell all, but the very next day he collapses into his morning porridge…

To Cressida’s horror, Marian – Bob’s widow and her parents’ cook – is accused of poisoning both the porridge and Bob’s sandwich and is carted off to jail. But Cressida is sure the answers are buried in the past. Just how far would a history boffin or a hard-up local go for an ancient pot of gold? And can Cressida dig up the truth before poison worms its way into her family’s kitchen again?

An absolutely addictive, warm and witty whodunnit that will keep you reading late into the night, perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, T.E. Kinsey and Verity Bright.

What readers are saying about the Cressida Fawcett mystery series:

‘Perfect… I was hooked from the first line!… I was guessing until the very end, I found myself smiling and gasping throughout!‘ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘I loved this! Found myself going to bed earlier and earlier so I could devour another few pages.’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘I was totally captivated from the very beginning… I was holding my breath… I can’t praise this book enough.’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘I devoured it in one sitting… Absolutely fantastic… Will keep you turning the pages and guessing right up until the end!!’ Bookworm86, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Absolutely amazing… I devoured this… Wham the ending totally blindsides… Wow, I absolutely did not see that coming… Fantastic.’ Page Turners, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘I whipped through it in a matter of hours… Grips from the very beginning… Fabulous… Superb… Knocked it out of the park.’ Bookish Jottings, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

‘So much fun. Think Wooster and Jeeves meets Downton Abbey doing a mystery. I was laughing out loud… Just super.’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

‘Loved loved loved… Fantastic… Couldn’t put it down… Gripping!!’ NetGalley reviewer, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

‘Very Agatha Christie-esque… I was always on the edge of my seat.’ @Fiction_Books, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

‘What a rip-roaring adventure!… Kept me hooked from start to finish.’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

‘Exceptional… Nail-biting… A terrific crime caper… Wonderful.’ Bookish Jottings, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

‘I absolutely loved it… Clever, funny, charming.’ T.E. Kinsey, best-selling mystery writer of the Lady Hardcastle series