Hey there, if you celebrated, I hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving last week. Mine was quite superb. My Christmas tree is now twinkling at me and I have started longing for Ritz crackers, sausage rolls and mince pies, some of the food that I associate with the holidays.
This week I have news of new books. I started the new Annabelle on December 1st. Yay! I'm excited to be back in Upton St. Mary, or wherever Annabelle sends me. Barring accidents, it should be out around March.
In other news, two of my best author friends have just released new books that I thought you might be interested in hearing about. I don't often recommend books but I have no hesitation in supporting these at all!
Despite being very different, the two series have much in common: they are both set in England, both have historical elements to them (the Sixties is a historical period isn't it?) and both authors have great expertise in their subjects.
First up…
The lovely and inimitable Peter Bartram has a new book out in the Colin Crampton series, The Beach Party. Colin is a reporter in Brighton during the Swinging Sixties and he gets into all sorts of scrapes.These books are humorous, tongue-in-cheek mysteries with lots of over the top characters that will make you smile. Well-written and authentic. Peter was a reporter/editor for a newspaper covering the South coast of England for many years. I suspect you can swap out the name “Colin” for “Peter.” 😉
From the blurb…
“Brighton is about to host its most exciting beach party ever – with the world’s biggest name in rock music headlining the show.
It seems a world away from the work of Evening Chronicle crime reporter Colin Crampton. But that’s before fraudster Claude Winterbottom is beaten to death.
As Colin investigates the crime, he finds there are too many suspects. Like Manfred Crouchpenny, the fattest loan shark in the world. Or Jeremiah Clarke, leader of a band of purity campaigners. And who is the mystery woman who hides behind the pseudonym Astraea?”
Click through to The Beach Party here.
And if you're into Christmas mysteries…
My great friend Kate has just published one, Mulled Wine and Murder. Kate's series is set in the current day but in a stately home. Kate is a huge history buff, and has worked for years behind the scenes at some of Britain's finest buildings including Hampton Court Palace and the University of Oxford. I know how much time Kate spends on research so that she gets the period details absolutely right.
From the blurb…
“The glow of a million fairy lights and the hauntingly familiar melodies of Christmas carols fill the vast halls of Charleton House, but when a group of volunteers fall ill after drinking mulled wine laced with poisonous berries, Catering Manager and part-time sleuth Sophie Lockwood wonders who’s failing to embrace the goodwill of the season.
When an anonymous gift of poisoned cookies is left on her desk, and her delve into the past threatens to uncover a secret that will shock her well-respected employers, the Duke and Duchess of Ravensbury, to the core, has Sophie’s sleuthing finally gone too far?”
Click through to Mulled Wine and Murder here.
Happy reading!
