As Halloween approaches in the Cotswold village of Wendlebury Barrow, Sophie Sayers, new to the village, is suspicious of the fierce new vicar and his ban on the villagers' seasonal celebrations.

Especially when he plans to replace them with a traditional Guy Fawkes' Night party, and invites everyone to bring a guy (scarecrow) to burn on his giant bonfire.

Sophie thinks the vicar's not the only one with dark secrets to hide. What about her boss, the beguiling bookseller, Hector Munro? Whose body will be found outside his village bookshop? Not to mention the one secretly buried beneath the vicar’s bonfire...

Just as Sophie had been starting to feel at home in Wendlebury, she must call on all her inner resources and trust her instincts to save the day before anyone else can come to harm - and to get Hector back on her side.

For fans of cosy mysteries everywhere, Sophie’s second adventure will have you laughing out loud as you try to solve the mystery before she does, in the company of engaging new characters, as well as familiar favourites from "Best Murder in Show".

Perfect for fans of Richard Osman, Verity Bright and Ann Sutton.

Debbie Young is a British writer of cosy mystery novels. She is the UK ambassador for ALLi and the founder of the annual Hawkesbury Upton Literary Festival. Her warm, witty, feel-good contemporary fiction is full of English humour, inspired by life in the Cotswold village which has been her home for over 30 years. Her bestselling ‘Sophie Sayers Village Mystery’ series includes the trailblazing ‘Murder Your Darlings’, which was shortlisted for the Selfies Award for best independently published fiction in 2021.

Mary Woodvine

Stem