Rebecca Tope

"Rich in psychological insight . . . Tope is particularly skilled in creating interesting and unique characters." --Deadly Pleasures A huge funeral for Windermere's popular resident, Barbara Dodge, is taking place, and florist Persimmon "Simmy" Brown and her new assistant, Bonnie Lawson, are busy compiling wreaths in preparation. As people pass through the shop they begin to hear rumors about a series of sinister dog-nappings occurring in nearby Troutbeck. Up in arms over the crimes, they begin to investigate. But it isn't until Simmy and her father are taking a walk up Wansfell Pike that it becomes apparent there is something even worse afoot and everyone's favorite florist must stop a killer before they strike again . . .

Florist Persimmon 'Simmy' Brown is juggling life with a demanding newborn when visitors arrive in the Lake District with questions about a long-forgotten disappearance. Thea Slocombe and her brother Damien are searching for the truth about their great-grandfather, John Armstrong, who vanished without a trace in 1931, leaving behind his family and a medal awarded for an act of bravery few now remember. As dormant rumours of murder begin to surface, Simmy soon finds her investigative instincts reawakened. With a resentful relative determined to prevent further enquiries, it becomes clear that some secrets have been buried for generations - and the trio soon find that history can be every bit as dangerous as the present.

Heavily pregnant yet still running her flower shop in Keswick, Simmy Brown agrees to deliver an unusual bouquet to remote Eskdale. There she encounters three generations of women - and the next day, one of them is brutally murdered. Drawn into the mystery, Simmy and her friends soon find themselves navigating eccentric artists, fractured families, and secrets buried deep in the Lakes. As her new assistant Evie proves unexpectedly determined to sleuth, and tangled motives begin to surface, Simmy realises the truth is darker - and closer - than anyone imagined. And time is running out, in more ways than one.

'As Rebecca Tope tells it, every rural idyll is blighted by underlying menace. Such is her writing skill, I'm inclined to believe her' Daily Mail With the approach of autumn, a heavily pregnant Simmy Brown is anticipating the imminent arrival of her new child and juggling the move of her florist business to Keswick. A bouquet order to be delivered to the beautiful but remote Eskdale is an awkward addition to Simmy's to-do list. There she encounters three generations of women - and the next day, one of them is brutally murdered. Drawn into the mystery, Simmy and her friends soon find themselves navigating eccentric artists and fractured families. As her new assistant Evie proves unexpectedly determined to try her hand at sleuthing, and tangled motives begin to surface, Simmy realises the truth is darker than anyone imagined - and closer. And time is running out, in more ways than one. 'A Rebecca Tope novel, be it one of her Lake District, Cotswold or West Country Mysteries is a guarantee of a complex, page turning plot that will keep the reader guessing until the last page. A thoroughly enjoyable read which I heartily recommend.' Mystery People

Simmy Brown is four months pregnant, working partly from home, partly from her Windermere florist shop and very much feeling her age when her husband, Christopher, asks her to deliver flowers to Eleanor Padgett. As an expert in antique textiles, Eleanor has been a considerable help to him at his auction house. The visit out to the charming Lake District village of Dacre is squeezed into Simmy's endless to-do list. It is a moment of calm to appreciate the approach of spring and the interesting churchyard, but this is shattered when she discovers the body of a young man among the graves. It is not long before Simmy once again finds herself in a complex and puzzling investigation, led by DI Moxon and aided by her friends Ben and Bonnie.

As Christmas draws nearer, Simmy Henderson is invited to a party in Glenridding at the heart of the Lake District. However, the festivities are overshadowed by two alarming discoveries: a man's body in the beck above the village and a vulnerable newborn baby, apparently abandoned by its mother. Caught in the crosscurrents and tensions of the inhabitants of Glenridding, Simmy is drawn into the investigation. The season of goodwill has been eclipsed by far darker emotions and a murderer must be found.

Simmy Brown is four months pregnant, working partly from home, partly from her Windermere florist shop and very much feeling her age when her husband, Christopher, asks her to deliver flowers to Eleanor Padgett. As an expert in antique textiles, Eleanor has been a considerable help to him at his auction house. The visit out to the charming Lake District village of Dacre is squeezed into Simmy's endless to-do list. It is a moment of calm to appreciate the approach of spring and the interesting churchyard, but this is shattered when she discovers the body of a young man among the graves. It is not long before Simmy once again finds herself in a complex and puzzling investigation, led by DI Moxon and aided by her friends Ben and Bonnie.

As Christmas draws nearer, Simmy Henderson is invited to a party in Glenridding at the heart of the Lake District. However, the festivities are overshadowed by two alarming discoveries: a man's body in the beck above the village and a vulnerable newborn baby, apparently abandoned by its mother. Caught in the crosscurrents and tensions of the inhabitants of Glenridding, Simmy is drawn into the investigation. The season of goodwill has been eclipsed by far darker emotions and a murderer must be found.

As the auction at High Gates House in Borrowdale nears, Christopher Henderson bumps into Jennifer Reade, the expected recipient of the proceeds of the house clearance sale. She discovers a dead man in the cellar of the house but threatens Christopher into remaining silent about it until after the auction to avoid delays. The auction is halted by the police with the news that a murder has been committed. Simmy, Christopher's wife and amateur sleuth, applies herself to the mystery of the deaths but she will have to contend with a ruthless and determined killer in her fight for the truth.

Thea Osborne reconnects with her friend Emmy while on a visit to the church in Baunton, near Cirencester with her stepdaughter Stephanie. Emmy, now married to local farmer Nick Weaver, asks Thea to, help them find their missing niece, Ginny. But before Thea can get started, she stumbles upon the recently killed body of Alice, a woman they had briefly seen in Cirencester the day before. Stephanie concentrates on searching for Ginny via social media while Thea is diverted into helping the police with the murder investigation. It soon becomes clear that Ginny and Alice are linked in a sinister way.

Two days before an auction of the contents of High Gates House in Borrowdale, Christopher Henderson bumps into Jennifer Reade, the heir to the entire estate, and the expected recipient of the proceeds of the house clearance sale. She discovers a dead man in the cellar of the house but threatens and cajoles Christopher into remaining silent about it until after the auction to avoid complications and delays. The auction begins but is soon halted by the police with the news that a murder has been committed. Simmy, Christopher's wife and amateur sleuth, applies herself to the mystery of the deaths but not everyone is as they appear and Simmy will have to contend with a ruthless and determined killer in her fight for the truth.

Thea Osborne reconnects with her friend Emmy while on a visit to the church in Baunton, near Cirencester with her stepdaughter Stephanie. Emmy, now married to local farmer Nick Weaver, asks Thea to, help them find their missing niece, Ginny. But before Thea can get started, she stumbles upon the recently killed body of Alice, a woman they had briefly seen in Cirencester the day before. Stephanie concentrates on searching for Ginny via social media while Thea is diverted into helping the police with the murder investigation. It soon becomes clear that Ginny and Alice are linked in a sinister way.

Autumn clouds are drawing in over the village of Askham, at the edge of the picturesque Lake District, and mourners, including Simmy Henderson, are heading to the funeral of Humphrey Craig. Taking a quiet moment later to visit the grave and admire the flowers with her florist's eye, Simmy meets two women: academic Lindsay Wilson and ninety-year-old matriarch Pauline Parsons. Just twenty-four hours later, Mrs Parsons is found dead on Askham Fell, and Simmy faces questioning at Penrith police station. An accusation has been made, but if Simmy is to avoid arrest for a murder she did not commit, she will have to uncover the killer herself.

Upper Oddington is home to Umberto Kingly, as well as his three dogs, and will be Thea Slocombe's latest house-sitting assignment. Thea expects the location will be one of her quietest, until the serene atmosphere is shattered by a fatal hit-and-run. The ensuing police investigation plunges Thea deep into the victim's complicated family dynamic and the rift that had already torn it apart. She cannot help wondering if the reverberations of scandal have led to a deliberate and murderous assault .

Autumn clouds are drawing in over the village of Askham, at the edge of the picturesque Lake District, and mourners, including Simmy Henderson, are heading to the funeral of Humphrey Craig. Taking a quiet moment later to visit the grave and admire the flowers with her florist's eye, Simmy meets two women: Lindsay Wilson, an academic writing a thesis on Charles Dickens, and ninety-year-old matriarch Pauline Parsons. Just twenty-four hours later, Mrs Parsons is found dead on Askham Fell, and Simmy faces questioning at Penrith police station. An accusation has been made, but if Simmy is to avoid arrest for a murder she did not commit, she will have to uncover the killer herself.

A handsome, if slightly shabby, stone house in Upper Oddington is home to Umberto Kingly, as well as his three dogs, and will be Thea Slocombe's latest house-sitting assignment. Without even a local shop, Thea expects the location to be one of her quietest, until the serene atmosphere is shattered with a fatal hit-and-run. The ensuing high-profile police investigation plunges Thea deep into the victim's complicated family dynamics and the rift that had already torn it apart. She cannot help wondering if the reverberations of scandal have led to a deliberate and murderous assault.

On a glorious July morning in the pretty Lake District village of Threlkeld, Simmy Brown and Christopher Henderson celebrate their wedding day. While the event passes off without undue calamity, when most of the guests have departed a severely injured young man is found nearby. Pressure on police resources compromises the investigation and speculation is rife. Was it an accident or something more sinister? What was just a chilling suspicion develops into an altogether more disturbing theory.

As spring returns to the Cotswolds, so too does Thea Slocombe to house-sitting. She has agreed to look after Lucy Sinclair's new home in Northleach while she is away, and Thea is glad of the change of scene. She soon meets several of the locals who seem to irritate Lucy so much, and comes to the conclusion that Lucy is far from popular herself. When a man's body is found in Northleach, Thea needs all her wits about her. At the heart of the mystery are secrets betrayed and revenge exacted, and Thea is once again caught up in underhand dealings played out in the idyllic countryside.

A wedding day turns into a far darker affair in the idyllic Lake District. On a glorious July morning in the pretty Lake District village of Threlkeld, Simmy Brown and Christopher Henderson celebrate their wedding day. While the event passes off without undue calamity, when most of the guests have departed a severely injured young man is found nearby. Pressure on police resources compromises the investigation and speculation is rife. Was it an accident or something more sinister? What was just a chilling suspicion develops into an altogether more disturbing theory.

Spring has brought many new beginnings into the world of florist Persimmon 'Simmy' Brown. Not only has her baby arrived, but she and her fiancé Christopher have moved to the historic village of Hartsop in the Lake District - and they still intend to say their vows before the height of summer. But when a former acquaintance of Christopher's reminds him of a promise he made a decade previously, their lives soon take a sinister - and deadly - turn. Yet even with a young baby to consider Simmy cannot ignore her instinct to investigate, especially with the personal link to her soon-to-be husband. Ably assisted by her would-be detective friend Ben, can Simmy puzzle out this reckoning from the past and protect her family in time for the wedding bells to chime?