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A Little Murder

Read An Extract of A Little Murder
Format

E-book

Author Suzette A. Hill
Rights World English
ISBN 9780749013738
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Description

SHORTLISTED FOR THE GOLDSBORO LAST LAUGH AWARD 2014.

London, early 1950s. Marcia Beasley of St John’s Wood is discovered dead in her home, naked and covered with a coal scuttle. Detective Sergeant Greenleaf is tasked with solving the crime and bringing meaning to her gruesome death. It is a discomfiting matter, not only for the victim’s niece Rosy Gilchrist – eager to distance herself from her aunt’s fate and raffish reputation – but to all members of the deceased’s social circle. The floral Felix and acidic Cedric, awful Vera, self-enamoured artist Clovis Thistlehyde, the amiably inane Fawcett family – all, it seems, have secrets to hide and grudges to bear.

Reluctantly Rosy is drawn into a mesh of intrigue, encountering those she would prefer to avoid and uncovering facts she would rather not know. Dragged from her ordered world, she is thrust into one of mad uncertainty. Who, for example, is the limping midnight visitor? Is the bibulous priest as ingenious as he seems? And will Mrs Burkiss ever yield her keys to the broom cupboard? A host of colourful and comic characters leap from the pages in their hurry to identify the murderer, unravel the mystery of Marcia’s life, and discover the importance of all that coal.

 

What The Critics Said

'Many characters have motive but the final denouement has to await the final pages, providing a tidy and satisfactory end to all aspects of this complex plot… It is well-written, amusing, genteel and sedate – a pleasant antidote to the violence and aggression of some of the more modern crime fiction.'

Crime Review

'Set in the early 1950’s, this is a delightful romp, as Rosy is pulled from her quiet ordered existence into the murky
world it appeared that her aunt had inhabited. A further death has everyone twitchy and looking over their shoulder’s, particularly those who have been indulging in a little wickedness! Highly recommended.'

Mystery People

'For classic crime enthusiasts, A Little Murder ticks all the right boxes...a delightful mix of mystery and nostalgia, just perfect for the deckchair.'

Daily Mail

'A perfect mixture of funny and acerbic, with a cast of colourful characters and a school of well-deployed red herrings, A Little Murder is wholly delightful.'

Laura Wilson

'Wittily written, tightly plotted and fun to read. It introduces a sparkling gallery of characters and perfectly captures the drab sleaziness of London in the early 1950s.'

Simon Brett

‘As with her earlier books, I love Suzette Hill’s elegance as a writer and wonderful sense of the ridiculous.’

Ruth Dudley Edward, author of Killing the Emperors

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