10 April 2025.
ISBN: 978-1-4087-2066-0 (PB)
Returning home from a three-week trip to the USA, to attend the United Federation of Dolls Clubs annual convention in Los Angels, Kat Stanford, is pleased to be home in Little Dipperton. She owns that being the keynote speaker has boosted her ego, whereas she would have thought she would have been forgotten by now. Nonsense her mother Iris declared. ‘You’re still famous as the former TV host of Fakes and Treasures.’
So, what’s been happening, says Kat? Well, I don’t want to alarm you, says Iris, but the dowager countess Edith of Honeychurch Hall is currently unwell. Being a robust octogenarian this is rather alarming. Before she can elaborate more a call comes through from ‘Just call me Danny’ the local vicar. Unable to raise his mother Ruby or his wife Caroline he asks Iris to drive over and check she is OK. Flying down the narrow country lanes Iris stops for a birdwatcher, who Iris introduces to her as Crispin Fellowes, and from the silly grin on her face, Kat realises that Crispin is her latest squeeze.
Suddenly they are surrounded by goats, hemmed in, unable to move. Then Lord Rupert Honeychurch, the fifteenth Earl of Grenville arrives complete with dog and whistle and soon order is restored. Eventually they reach Ruby’s current abode, End Cottage, but are unable to get any answer to their knocking. They finally locate Ruby, lying dead in the rose garden in a white nightdress covered in brown stains.
Having made the necessary calls, they eventually reach Kat’s home Jane’s Cottage built in red brick in 1800s. Kat has missed her lovely policeman Mallory and her home. When they arrive, they are immediately ambushed by Delia Evans, head of house at the Hall, who dresses like Mrs Hughes, the housekeeper in Downton Abbey. Delia likes to be the first with news and tells them that Eric Pugsley, is getting married on Saturday.
For those new to this wonderful
series Eric Pugsley, runs the unsightly scrapyard on the Honeychurch Hall
estate. He has brought home his Turkish fiancée, Yasmine and her outrageously
feisty mother. This came as a shock to me, a long-time reader of this series. Eric
Pugsley has huge beetle brows and does more grunting that actually speaking. Not what I would call a handsome man. However,
when Iris goes to inform him that there has been time change for the village
Safari Supper tomorrow evening, held in their honour, she sees a different Eric.
Sleek perfectly groomed eyebrows, no stubble and clean clothes. Next to him, his new fiancé is utterly stunning
but doesn’t speak much English.
The good news is that Mallory is delighted to see her and says how much he has missed her. So, all good until Kat decides to open the post that has accumulated in her absence. A hand delivered letter states The Earl of Granville has given her three weeks to vacate Jane’s Cottage and both the east and west gatehouses. She is being evicted.
There is clearly something going on and Kat needs to find out what? Then at the Safari Supper at the Hall, one of the villagers goes missing and is later found drowned in the estate's ornamental lake. But things take an even more sinister turn when Eric asks, Kat Stanford, to value the bride-to-be's 19th century Etruscan engagement ring, but to leave the valuation area blank. She also learns that historically it was used to carry poison - hardly an appropriate choice for love, but Eric is adamant it's what his fiancée wants. And eventually Kat learns who Crispin Fellowes actually is.
But most disturbing is that suddenly Mallory is cancelling dates and is strangely unavailable. Is Kat’s new relationship going to crash and burn.
A most compelling read, with many twists
and turns. And one I highly recommend.
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Reviewer: Lizzie Sirett
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