When retired doctor Sarah Vane moves to Merstairs, she has no idea that the quaint seaside town isn’t quite as friendly it seems, and something sinister is bubbling under the picturesque surface…

Recently widowed and looking for a fresh start away from city life, Sarah Vane moves into a lovely little cottage by the sea. The rustic charm is everything she hoped it would be, but her new home doesn’t quite have enough space for her things. Her old friend Daphne offers to store Sarah’s boxes in her messy beach hut, but while clearing it out, they are shocked to find a heavy trunk… containing a dead body.

They immediately recognise the poor man as pub landlord Gus Trubshaw. Sarah concludes that he was suffocated, but who could have wanted jolly Gus dead? Unimpressed by the police’s lack of interest, Sarah realises she will have to solve the case herself.

Soon, Sarah discovers that not everyone loved Gus as much as she’d thought. Could the killer be scoutmaster Bill, who was recently banned from the pub? Or perhaps it was antique store owner, Charles, who owned the beach hut before Daphne? Or was it brewery director Mr. Grimes, who was livid with Gus for squeezing him on the purchase price of his delicious ale?

Just when the clues are starting to fall into place, the prime suspect is found strangled on the beach. And when Sarah discovers a deadly secret that links the two murders, she’s certain that a dangerous killer is roaming the streets of Merstairs. With the town in a panic, time is ticking for Sarah. Will she solve the mystery before it’s last orders for another victim?

Set off for the breezy English seaside and join Sarah on her adventures in quirky Merstairs, where nothing is quite as it seems! Fans of Agatha Christie, Betty Rowlands and Katie Gaylewill be instantly hooked by this deliciously gripping cozy mystery.

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

‘The trouble is that the coroner is swamped. Merstairs does have quite a large elderly population, you know,’ she said, in a way that made it clear she was not part of that group. ‘Old dears dropping off their perches keep them very busy.’

It was a threatening beginning, accompanied as it was by a fierce look from Francesca’s bitter brown eyes. Sarah had always previously associated that shade with lovely, sweet, gently warming things, like chocolate and treacle, but Francesca’s stare was the colour of the hardest toffee going– the sort that would yank out your fillings in a trice, and probably crack a molar or two for good measure.

Her resentment is the perfect renewable energy. If only we could use it to power Merstairs. None of us would ever need to pay a penny in electricity bills again.

My Review:

 

I adore a wry wit and the delightful scribe known as Alice Castle has an exceptionally clever one as well as a smooth and engaging style that never fails to tickle my fancy. Her tales charm and entertain with snort-worthy humor that keeps a smirk on my face during perusal while also poking and prodding my curiosity to work out the “who done it.” But I do miss her beloved character of the pixie boot wearing Beth, maybe she could drop in Sarah for a visit.