This is the first book featuring Rona Parish et al that I have come across although it is not the first in the series. That said, it can easily be read as a standalone without the reader feeling that something is missing.

Rona is a writer of biographies and also contributes to a local magazine, Chiltern Life. She has a twin sister and she is married and the novel establishes a credible cast of characters supporting Rona. Her latest contribution to the magazine has been a series on single mothers and to this end she meets Nicole Summers. Rona discovers that Nicola is somewhat prickly and reticent about her past despite being a successful publisher of cookery books and holding cookery classes in the local community centre.

Rona is then invited to take over the work of Russel Page (another biographer) who was killed in a car crash. His widow provides Rona with all the research material on TV presenter Gideon Ward but as she settles down to review the material she uncovers a mystery.

How Rona manages to become embroiled in several mysteries at the same time provides a very satisfying book with enough twists and turns to keep you guessing, or not… This is a gentle kind of murder mystery, no knife wielding maniacs, no blood and gory descriptions to unsettle you, just good writing and good characterisation. For me the name of the magazine, Chiltern Life says it all. Rona and her cast of characters occupy a civilised world; ladies who lunch (Rona doesn’t like to cook), social gatherings and, of course, the social niceties that one would expect where men are always gentlemen and women always fragrant. However, one would expect this to be set in a more golden, gentler time a la Agatha Christie, but no – it is present day. I do not mean to imply that it doesn’t work because it does, but just that it could sit more comfortably in that genre which may well be Ms Fraser’s intention.

A thoroughly good read – enjoy, I did.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

4 stars

Rona Parish is a contributor to a magazine called Chiltern Life. Her specialty is biographies. She is just finishing up on a series about single moms who made it big. Her final interview is with a woman who is also a contributor to the magazine, but also runs a cooking school.

Meanwhile she gets the opportunity to finish a biography of Gideon Ward who passed away some ten years earlier. The original biographer Russell Page was almost done with the assignment when he was killed in an auto accident. Anxious to begin that project, she makes arrangements to meet with her cooking person named Nicole Summers. However, when she arrives at her home in order to cadge a ride to the cooking class, she makes a horrific discovery.

Fortunately, Rona has a wide circle of friends, family and acquaintances to lean on during her times of trouble; for it is trouble that is on its way. The further she digs into her research project, the closer she gets to an old ticking bomb from her past.

This is a very well written and plotted novel. It makes for interesting reading. The characters are engaging and sufficient background information is given for the reader to know the characters, but not so much that it intrudes on the story. Like all of Anthea Fraser’s books, this one is easy going. No blood and gore to worry about, so it’s almost a cozy. I enjoyed reading it and will no doubt enjoy the next one as well.

I want to thank Netgalley and Severn House Publishing for forwarding to me a copy of this fine book for me to read.

A pleasant, cozy read perfect for fans of old-fashioned British mysteries.
Rhona Parrish, a biographer and contributor to the magazine Chilterns Life, once again gets embroiled in a deadly case, worrying her twin sister Lindsey and her husband Max. The familiar figures in the series are a welcome read and the mystery is enjoyable, especially the one concerning Nicole, Chilterns Life's highly successful cookery expert. She proves to be a tough interview for Rhona, who finds her distant and cool, reluctant to talk about her past and her private life.
She is also hired to write a biography, after the original biographer is killed in a car accident. That too proves a bit more difficult than she expected, despite the copious research material available to her. It also sends her on a dangerous path as she realizes nothing is like it seems.
It was a pleasure reconnecting with Rhona and her family, and even though it's part of a series, this book could be read as a standalone.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC.