Meet Belinda Penshurst. Castle owner, dog lover… crime solver?
Belinda Penshurst loves her home village Little Challham, with its shady lanes, two pubs and weekly market, and she’s determined to keep it peaceful. She may live in Challham Castle but she knows almost everything that goes on under her nose. So when irritable pub landlord Tipper is found dead in his cellar, she’s perfectly placed to investigate.
Retired detective Harry Powell moved to Little Challham for a quiet life. He didn’t expect to be dragged into a murder investigation. But the police don’t seem half as enthusiastic as Belinda about the case, and there are strange things happening in the village. Particularly the number of dogs that have disappeared lately…
Is there a dognapper snaffling schnauzers and luring away Labradors? Is Belinda barking mad to be worried that her brother Marcus was arguing with Tipper on the day he died? Belinda and Harry track down the suspects: the rival landlord, the outraged barmaid, the mysterious man in the black car following dogwalkers around. But are the dogged detectives running out of time to sniff out the killer, before he starts hounding them?
I am so excited to be a part of the blog tour for Murder in the Village by Lisa Cutts which was published by Bookouture in paperback, ebook AND audiobook this week! Thanks to Sarah Hardy for the tour invite and the publishers for providing me with a small juicy extract to share with you all! Also, congratulations to Lisa, a wonderful individual who deserves all the success – follow her and read her books, they’re great!
Are you ready for that extract?
Are you sure?
Okay, here it is, enjoy!
The naivety of the middle classes always meant a healthy profit. Safe in that knowledge, the driver of the black SUV circled the estate twice before coming to a stop outside the target premises. It was perfect – almost too perfect. The yellow roses had the audacity to climb happily, almost arrogantly, up the front of the cottage, allowing their scent to fill the air. What was the point? It was gone four in the morning, not long until the sun came up, so who was actually here to smell them? With well-practised care, the passenger silently opened the car door and stood on the pavement. The whole of Little Challham was shrouded in sleep. Treading as lightly as he could manage, with almost feline dexterity, he made it to the edge of the driveway. A quick glance left and right, and with one gloved hand, he pulled the aerosol can from his pocket. In less than ten seconds, he had sprayed a yellow symbol on the road, and he was back in the car. The marker he had left was far enough to the side of the driveway to prevent the occupants noticing and yet close enough that his conspirators would know their objective on another street of unnumbered houses. The only living soul he had alerted was the no longer slumbering pooch inside the house. The sound of voracious barking was canine music to his ears, if indeed there was such a thing. Bach, perhaps? He laughed to himself when he thought about the house-protecting hound whose fortune was about to change. With no further concern other than their own finances, they drove home to get some sleep before another big day began.
How many of you are tempted to start Murder in the Village immediately? I thought so! Go and grab a copy now and settle in to this cosy mystery laced with humour!
The Reading Closet 