**SMALL TOWN LIFE CAN BE MURDEROUS . . .** **’This is the most cheerful book about murder I’ve ever read. If the writings of Agatha Christie and Peter Kay ever had a baby, I like to think it would read something like this’ The Bookbag** **Fast-paced and funny, this is a must-read for all fans of a classic murder mystery – think *The Vicar of Dibley *meets* Midsomer Murders *meets* *MC Beaton’s* Agatha Raisin *meets Richard Osman’s* The Thursday Murder Club!*** Welcome to Castle Kidbury – a pretty town in a green West Country valley. It’s home to all sorts of people, with all the stresses and joys of modern life, but with a town square and a proper butcher’s. It also has, for our purposes, a rash of gory murders … A dead body is found in the tacky 1970s splendour of the local Jolly Cook diner. Nailed to the plastic seating, on the formica table in front of it is a complimentary lollipop, the sort given to kids as they leave the cafe. Bodies begin to pile up. The police believe a serial killer is at work. While local sleuth **Jess Castle** chases this new villain, she also wrestles with her attraction to **Mitch** , a newcomer to Castle Kidbury. His can-do Aussie attitude, coupled with the pathos of a lone man bringing up a gaggle of barefoot kids, affects her deeply. Lawyer **Rupert** , who has always had a soft spot for Jess, doesn’t like it one bit. **Fast-paced and funny, this is a must-read for all fans of a classic murder mystery – think *The Vicar of Dibley *meets* Midsomer Murders *meets* *MC Beaton’s* Agatha Raisin *meets Richard Osman’s* The Thursday Murder Club!***