The Riviera Mystery

The fourth in the 1920s Murder Mystery Series, The Riviera Mystery, is published today. Marjorie is looking forward to some sunshine and relaxation when she heads to the French Riviera with Mrs Jameson for a late summer holiday. But from the journey on the Blue Train to a glamorous party at the luxurious Villa Beau Rivage, that doesn’t go according to plan.

A suspicious death, a close shave in a speedy sports car and a night in the cells await – but will Marjorie learn who to trust in time to unravel the mystery?

 

Do you remember your first trip overseas? Packing your case, the thrill of travelling by air or sea, the wonder as you stepped into a new world for the very first time, full of sunshine and colour?

For me, I was a ten-year-old on a day trip to Calais, France. We took the ferry from Dover – a mere 20 miles, but I was determined to feel ‘foreign’. I remember buying baguettes from a boulangerie, noticing schoolchildren chattering away in French, and looking at all the exotic-looking sweets in the shop windows.

It’s that sense of excitement that I wanted to capture in the new Marjorie Swallow adventure, The Riviera Mystery, out on September 19. A year ago, I stepped aboard the Eurostar train in London, bound for the south of France, then took the sleeper from Paris to Nice (pictures of that trip left). The journey sparked the idea for the new book, which begins with Marjorie lying awake in her compartment on the luxurious Blue Train… Read on for an excerpt from the new book to whet your appetite – and the chance to win a signed copy.

 

The Riviera Mystery

I was far too excited to sleep. The wheels rattled over the tracks, my toothbrush clinked in the glass on my nightstand and Mrs Jameson’s gentle snores vibrated rhythmically through the thin walls. Outside, the French countryside rushed past, fields and rivers and lakes and forests, an endlessly changing panorama of the first foreign country I had ever seen.

I reached from my bunk for the cord to pull up the blind. There might not be much to see in the dark, but I wanted to see it anyway. Ahead of me was the luxury of a September holiday, a whole month at a villa belonging to a friend of Mrs Jameson, my employer. Travelling as her secretary, I’d been promised turquoise seas, sunshine, white sailing boats and palm trees. I lapsed into a happy reverie.

Then someone screamed.

It was a woman’s scream, full of terror. I swung my feet to the floor, heart thumping, and wrenched open the sliding door to my compartment. All my parents’ warnings about the perils of Abroad, the danger of being robbed or murdered or worse on a sleeper train, rushed into my head. I’d hoped to get away from murders on this holiday, not be plunged straight into one before we even arrived.

Outside, the door to a compartment three down from mine stood open, light spilling into the corridor.

‘I say,’ I called, hurrying over. ‘Are you all right?’

***

What happens next? You’ll have to read the book to find out! You can also see me read the first few pages on my YouTube channel, here.

 

A Posh Night Out!

An author’s life might sound glamorous, but mostly it involves sitting in front of a computer, tapping away. However, I do enjoy a spot of glamour – and it doesn’t get more glamorous than Glyndebourne. This very English affair involves getting dressed to the nines for a picnic in the grounds of a sumptuous stately home, followed by world-class opera in a private opera house. It was my first time, and I had a ball.

Here I am with friends Christina and George, and husband Phil, all dressed up and ready for our champagne and smoked salmon.

 

 

 

 

 

Book recommendations this month

The Shanghai Secret by Vanessa Lind

A new author to me, but a subject close to my heart as a former journalist. The Shanghai Secret, by Vanessa Lind, is a duel timeline historical mystery from 1880s America.

In a charming riverfront town, a maid goes missing on the eve of her scheduled court appearance against a notorious shanghaier. Budding Gilded Age newspaper woman Jo Felch is determined to uncover the truth. But Jo’s investigation takes a terrifying turn when her newspaper’s beloved publisher turns up dead. She soon discovers nothing is as certain as she thought—not even her own past.

Link here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BV17DZ14

 

 

 

 

A Murder In Paris by Magda Alexander

And an old favourite returns!

A honeymoon in Paris. Idyllic days and nights. It couldn’t be more perfect. Until somebody dies.

After their magical wedding, Kitty Worthington and her husband, Inspector Robert Crawford Sinclair, head to Paris for their honeymoon. Art museums, haute couture, French cuisine. Wondrous nights. It’s everything Kitty has always dreamed of and more. But then a body drops, putting a damper on things.

At least this time, it’s a matter for the French police. There’s no need for Kitty and Robert to get involved. Things change, however, when a dear friend becomes the chief suspect, and she begs Kitty for help. Unable to walk away, she and Robert agree to investigate…

Link here: https://readerlinks.com/l/3887369