Murder in the Neighbourhood: A Diane Dimbleby Cozy Mystery

For a limited time only, you can get a free copy of Penelope Sotheby's first novella "Murder at the Inn" - click here to find out more >bit.ly/1I13tWf (just copy and paste into your browser)

While going through the pile of novels on her bedroom floor, she hears a creaking noise downstairs. Must be Rufus, she thinks, until she notices him sound asleep on top of her bed.

She goes back downstairs and looks around the living room but sees nothing out of the ordinary. She looks around the kitchen and does not find anything or anyone strange either. "Perhaps the cottage is catching up with me and my creaky bones," Diane chuckles to herself.

Climbing the staircase to go back to her bedroom, Diane hears another creak, and it's louder this time...

The English village, Apple Mews, is an idyllic community where bad things never happen. Though recently, long-time resident Diane Dimbleby found herself smack dab in the middle of a murder scene on the village green.

The widow of a Scotland Yard police detective, retired teacher Diane spends her days writing crime-solving mysteries, and she used her expertise to help Inspector Darrell Crothers of the Shrewsbury Police solve the case. Standoffish at first, the inspector warmed to Diane's amazing intuition. Against his better judgment, her sweet nature won him over.

Just as things are getting back to normal in the village, Diane's dear friend and neighbour, Carys Jones, is found dead by one of her caretakers, Richard. Diane is beyond traumatized. Seeing Carys' once lively body, now lying in a heap on the foyer floor, breaks her heart. To make matters worse, Richard's story of an accidental fall isn't adding up. When Darrell arrives on the scene, he isn't surprised to see his unofficial partner already there.

Diane uncovers a clue that contains a cryptic message when she temporarily takes in Carys' dog, Rufus. Before Diane has a chance to tell the Inspector, she and Rufus are slowly stalked, and then chased, through the woods near her house. They barely manage to outrun their pursuer.

She calls Darrell to share her discovery. The evidence leads the sleuthing pair--and Rufus--hours away to Carys' luxurious beach home on Bardsey Island. What they find shines a light on Carys' death, and points to something premeditated, something sinister. Things escalate when a stranger steps forward for the reading of the will. Diane and Darrell are forced to backtrack. Soon, Diane finds herself in the centre of a whodunit and she must once again use her ingenious wit to save her own life.

A curious writer. A determined detective. Suspects crawling out of the woodwork. Murder in the Neighbourhood: A Diane Dimbleby Cozy Mystery is part of a series of books by author Penelope Sotheby.

If you are a fan of cozy mysteries that contain an ingenious but modest woman sleuth then you will love Diane Dimbleby's second adventure.

Interview with the AuthorQ - Can you tell us more about your book "Murder in Bermuda:An Anna Winters Cozy Mystery" and the Cozy Mystery Set "Murder in Paradise". What is it about?

A - This book is about Anna Winters, a wedding planner, who is tasked with solving a murder at a wedding reception she is overseeing.  There are various suspects and Anna has to interview them and sift through the clues to find out who the culprit is.  Over the course of this whodunit series Anna transitions from being a good wedding planner to one of the top whodunit detectives.

Q - Who would this book appeal to, who is your target market?

A - Women between 35 - 65 but anyone really who loves whodunit books.

Q - Can you tell us more about Anna Winters?  Who is she?

A - Anna is in her mid-30s and British.  She is a London based wedding planner for a hotel chain but currently doing a tour of islands where the chain has hotels and performing wedding planning services for the rich and famous.