SMALL TOWN LIFE CAN BE MURDEROUS . . .

'This is the most cheerful book about murder I've ever read. If the writings of Agatha Christie and Peter Kay ever had a baby, I like to think it would read something like this' The Bookbag

Fast-paced and funny, this is a must-read for all fans of a classic murder mystery - think The Vicar of Dibley meets Midsomer Murders meets MC Beaton’s Agatha Raisin meets Richard Osman's The Thursday Murder Club!

Welcome to Castle Kidbury - a pretty town in a green West Country valley. It's home to all sorts of people, with all the stresses and joys of modern life, but with a town square and a proper butcher's. It also has, for our purposes, a rash of gory murders ...

A dead body is found in the tacky 1970s splendour of the local Jolly Cook diner. Nailed to the plastic seating, on the formica table in front of it is a complimentary lollipop, the sort given to kids as they leave the cafe.

Bodies begin to pile up. The police believe a serial killer is at work. While local sleuth Jess Castle chases this new villain, she also wrestles with her attraction to Mitch, a newcomer to Castle Kidbury. His can-do Aussie attitude, coupled with the pathos of a lone man bringing up a gaggle of barefoot kids, affects her deeply. Lawyer Rupert, who has always had a soft spot for Jess, doesn’t like it one bit.

Fast-paced and funny, this is a must-read for all fans of a classic murder mystery - think The Vicar of Dibley meets Midsomer Murders meets MC Beaton’s Agatha Raisin meets Richard Osman's The Thursday Murder Club!