Anna Sayburn Lane

Hello from Venice!

When I was a child, a phrase often heard was ‘I want doesn’t get’, whether that was a note to get out of P.E., a pair of drainpipe jeans or a Girls World mannequin head. I think I’ve internalised this message, with the result that I’m quite bad at saying what I really want.

And I’ve wanted to visit Venice for decades. I’m lucky to have had wonderful holidays in Spain, France, Britain, even other cities in Italy. But somehow, I never visited Venice. I’ve read about it, dreamed about it, watched films set there… and when friends told me they were going, I said I’d love to go myself. One day.

A week later, they asked if Phil and I would like to go with them. We checked our diaries – both unusually free. We found accommodation. Even the same flights had seats available. I was out of excuses.

I’d been warned that Venice was over-run with tourists, and the city had become a museum with barely any residents. Perhaps that too was why I’d hesitated, fearing it would not live up to the romance in my head.

I couldn’t have been more wrong. I spent the days floating through this dream city built on water. Near our apartment children played in a shady square, old men chatted beneath the trees and everyone crowded into the bakery for morning coffee.

We bounced around on vaporetti, taking a trip to the islands after a lunch of grilled fish overlooking the lagoon (thanks to Lynn Morrison for the recommendation!). In the evening, we strolled over the Rialto Bridge and through St Mark’s Square, busy in daytime but magical after dark. We visited art galleries and palazzos, ate delicious food, enjoyed the secluded alleyways, canals and bridges with views so picturesque that we took about 600 photos in 3 days.

I’m so glad we went. And I have a new resolution: to say what I want out loud, and try to make it happen.

Death At Chelsea

In that spirit, please do order, read and review Death At Chelsea, the third in my Marjorie Swallow murder mystery series. The book will be published in six days, on Thursday 2 May.
My advance reader team loved this book! Here’s what they said:

“I found all the characters distinctive and intriguing. You are especially good at strong women… I really enjoyed it and wanted to keep reading to find out whodunnit!”

“Each one gets better and better – tighter, more confident, more assured. I particularly enjoyed the humour in this one.”

“I absolutely loved it. Great characters, cracking plot, was hooked.”

I have five signed copies of Death At Chelsea to give away, to the first five people who reply to this email with the answer to the question at the bottom of the letter. Keep reading for your chance to win.

Recommendations

A new book by Magda Alexander is always an event, and her Kitty Worthington series continues with Murder At A Funeral, publishing on 30th April. With her wedding day to CDI Robert Crawford Sinclair mere weeks away, Kitty is thrilled beyond words. But first there’s a sad duty—the reinterment of Robert’s mother at Castle Rutledge.

But on the day of the funeral, things don’t go according to plan. The vicar’s gone missing; the organist is drunk as a judge. And then there’s the body in the sanctuary. Not the one you’d expect. Then Robert’s brother becomes the main suspect, leaving them with no choice but to investigate…

Pre-order here.

My other book recommendation is Donna Leone’s Death At La Fenice, the first in her series of murder mysteries set in… you guessed it, Venice. Unusually for a murder mystery, the investigation takes a leisurely pace, with the delightful Commissario Brunetti taking time to lunch well, annoy his pompous superior, buy flowers for his beloved wife and play games with his children, alongside his investigations. I admit I’d guessed the mystery about halfway through, but that didn’t lessen my pleasure at the atmospheric story. Very much recommended – especially if you can read it while strolling those same streets!

Finally in Venice, I’m enjoying Ripley, Netflix’s dark rendition of Patricia Highsmith’s novel The Talented Mr Ripley. It sacrifices some of the gorgeous glamour of Anthony Minghella’s 1919 version for an uneasy monochrome noir. Some have said it’s a bit glacial, but I think the gradual build-up suits Andrew Scott’s subtle acting style well.

If you follow me on Amazon (which you can do here) you may have spotted that I have a fourth book in the Marjorie Swallow series in the works. The Riviera Mystery is due to publish in October, or sooner if I can mentally drag myself back from Italy to the south of France!

To win a signed copy of Death At Chelsea, tell me this: What is the big event that all English gardeners get excited about in Chelsea every May?

And just for the fun of it, what’s one thing you’ve always wanted to do, but somehow never got around to? Why not see if you can make it happen this year?

Have a marvellous May, and happy reading!

I can’t believe it’s only a year since I started writing the Marjorie Swallow mysteries! Marjorie already feels like part of my family – perhaps because she is inspired by my wonderful grandmothers and great-aunts.

I celebrated a year of Marjorie in the way she’d have loved best: delicious afternoon tea at a posh London hotel. The Goring, which opened in 1910 around the corner from Buckingham Palace, has served royalty and statesmen for more than 100 years. It makes a brief appearance in my next mystery, Death At Chelsea. I went with a writer friend, Kathy, and strolled around St James Park afterwards, watching the pelicans on the lake.

I’m also celebrating with a free short story featuring more adventures from Mrs Jameson’s past.

Short story: Jackdaw Jubilee

Marjorie and Mrs Jameson are off to the countryside for their next adventure, Death At Chelsea. But on the way, Mrs Jameson tells Marjorie about a visit to Hawkshill Manor for the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria, when a valuable piece of silver went missing.

Did she manage to retrieve it? Did the schoolchildren’s Jubilee Pageant go ahead? And did everyone enjoy a slap-up afternoon tea? Subscribe to the newsletter to find out!

Death At Chelsea

Death At Chelsea will be out in May in time for the Chelsea Flower Show.

The Royal Horticultural Society’s Spring Show at Chelsea is a gardening celebration attended by the Royal Family and celebrities, as well as keen gardeners. Think Superbowl for flowers!

I visited once and was amazed by the scale of the event and the beautiful display gardens. It’s a very English occasion which has been running since 1862, although it only moved to Chelsea in 1913. I loved the idea of setting a murder mystery at the show.

Thank you to everyone who has pre-ordered. If you want to be sure of getting a copy on publication day, you can do so here.

Recommendations

I had the great pleasure of visiting Sargent And Fashion at the Tate Britain Gallery, a tremendously jolly exhibition of John Singer Sargent’s portraits, with an emphasis on the wonderful clothes. Several of the outfits that the sitters wore were in the exhibition alongside the paintings, which added interest.

As you may have gathered from my books, I love beautiful clothes and get much enjoyment from concocting outfits for my characters to wear! This exhibition was very helpful for thinking about the clothes in Jackdaw Jubilee, although I couldn’t find an excuse for anyone to wear this exquisite cherry-coloured velvet gown!

Cozy Mysteries Promotion

If you’re still looking for more cozy mysteries, try the March Free Cozy Mysteries promotion at Bookfunnel, which you can find here.