DESCRIPTION:
A priceless statue, two mysterious deaths and a missing body… it can only be a case for the antique store detective!
Bella Winter is happily settled in Hope Eaton, with her business flourishing: antiques sold and problems solved. So when Margie Fleming approaches her to sell a family heirloom, a beautiful marble statue of a mother and child, Bella jumps at the chance.
But the day before the sale, Margie is found dead: drowned in the river Kite, a year after her older sister Bethan died the same way. Everyone is convinced it’s a tragic accident, but Bella isn’t so sure. One mysterious death might be a coincidence. Two feels a lot like murder…
Bella’s spine tingles when she realises Bethan also had plans for the statue. Could someone have killed to make sure it wasn’t moved? It feels far-fetched… but when they shift the statue, there’s a bloodstain beneath it. Someone is trying to conceal a crime. But who was the victim, and where is the body?
As she investigates the Flemings’ friends and family, Bella becomes convinced the strange graffiti appearing all over Hope Eaton holds answers… Can she paint a clear picture and solve the case, or will she find herself facing a watery end?
A completely charming cosy murder mystery, perfect for fans of Faith Martin, Emylia Hall and Agatha Christie.
- Amazon: https://geni.us/B0FMYLCP6Bsocial
Bella Winters is not a woman who believes in coincidences. She soon finds herself entangled in a web of intrigue when she has a chance to possibly purchase an exquisite marble statue. The day after the possible sale, there is the mysterious death of a woman named Maggie who had offered to sell it to her.
While the statue would have seamlessly fit into Bella’s charming antique shop, which was her primary focus, she is drawn to another, more pressing matter. Bella soon learns that Maggie had a sister, Bethany, who died in the exact same manner. Two sisters. Two eerily similar deaths. And a statue that now feels less like a prize and more like a clue.
Bella can’t help but to question the circumstances surrounding the untimely deaths of the sisters. Were they accidents? Slipping naturally into the role of amateur detective, Bella sets aside her shopkeeping duties long enough to dig deeper. Her curiosity isn’t idle—it’s insistent. The more she uncovers, the more convinced she becomes that these deaths demand answers. Bella’s determination to separate coincidence from conspiracy drives the story forward at a brisk, engaging pace.
Like her heroines, Clare is fascinated by people and what makes them tick. Before becoming a full-time writer, she worked in settings as diverse as Littlehey Prison and the University of Cambridge, in her home city. She’s lived everywhere from the house of a lord to a slug-infested flat and finds the mid-terrace she currently occupies a good happy medium.
As well as writing, Clare loves family time, art and architecture, cooking, and of course, reading other people’s books.
Thanks so much for this lovely review, Robin, and for joining the tour once again! 😊
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