Miss Clara Vale Mysteries

It's open season at Penford Manor! But someone has murder in their sights... At Penford Manor, the guests are arriving to celebrate the start of the grouse-hunting season: lords and ladies, barons and baronesses, a Member of Parliament - and chemistry graduate turned detective, Miss Clara Vale, an old friend of the family. But Clara is no ordinary guest: she's secretly investigating a blackmail plot against Lady Penford herself. Someone in the house is already up to no good, but when the body of a local trade unionist is found in the grounds, Clara's case gets even more complicated because a clue left by the body links it to the blackmail note. Who has discovered Lady Penford's secret? Can Clara and her trusted assistant Bella work together to find the murderer? And what do the cornflowers which keep popping up everywhere mean? Amidst the glittering dresses and sparkling conversation of society, Clara must find the truth - before the killer acts again! Fiona Veitch Smith is a lover of Golden Age mysteries and historical fiction and has been shortlisted for the CWA Historical Dagger. She has worked as a journalist, a university lecturer and a communications manager, and mentors new novelists. She grew up in Northumberland, then spent her teens and twenties in South Africa. She now lives in Newcastle upon Tyne. The fourth instalment in the Clara Vale cosy Golden Age mystery series Author is based in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, United Kingdom. Perfect for fans of Helena Dixon, Agatha Christie and Verity Bright.

September, 1930. Fearless detective Miss Clara Vale is bound for Berlin, but this trip is all about la mode - not murder. Clara is set to walk the runway at Berlin Fashion Week, as a favour to her designer friend Juju, with her assistant Bella in tow. Elections loom in Germany, and among Juju's friends, the Spieglers, all the talk is of the National Socialists. But trouble brews closer to home, when a shocking murder at their clothing factory points the finger at the Jewish couple's brilliant young son. With the victim an old friend of the fashion crew, emotions run high - and Clara quickly joins the investigation, setting out to untangle Nazi conspiracies and nasty colleagues. To complicate matters, Clara's old flame Larry Winter is in town, and it seems he may know more than he's letting on... When a second body turns up, pressure mounts. Amidst the dark glamour of 1930s Berlin, on the eve of the Third Reich, can Clara find the real killer and protect those around her? From silks to secrets, peplums to poison, this will be a Fashion Week like no other... Fiona Veitch Smith is a lover of Golden Age mysteries and historical fiction and has been shortlisted for the CWA Historical Dagger. She has worked as a journalist, a university lecturer and a communications manager, and mentors new novelists. She grew up in Northumberland, then spent her teens and twenties in South Africa. She now lives in Newcastle upon Tyne. The fifth instalment in the Clara Vale cosy Golden Age mystery series Author is based in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, United Kingdom. Perfect for fans of Helena Dixon, Agatha Christie and Verity Bright.