Beneath the ruins of a Victorian greenhouse, a skeleton is unearthed – and with it, years of buried secrets in Raven's Edge…

When decades-old human bones are discovered beneath the old glasshouse behind Foxglove & Hemlock, the local florist, DS Harriet March and DI Ben Taylor find themselves digging into Raven's Edge's murky past. As a frosty wind whips down the cobblestoned lanes of the village, the two detectives feel an ominous chill that has nothing to do with the weather…

The discovery coincides with the arrival of enigmatic novelist Iris Evergreen at Raven's Hollow, a gothic monstrosity of a mansion that's been sitting empty for years. Harriet is shocked to uncover a web of hidden secrets connecting the skeleton, Raven's Hollow and, most alarmingly, her own family history.

Just as Harriet begins to piece together the puzzle, a heavy snowfall blankets the village. And there, half-buried in a snowdrift outside Raven's Hollow, lies another body – this one still warm. As sirens wail in the distance, Harriet realises with a shiver that this killer is anything but history. The past and present have collided in Raven's Edge, will DS Harriet March be the one to pay the price?

Filled with buried plots, tangled romances and deadly intrigue, this cosy village mystery will keep readers guessing until the very last page. Perfect for fans of Fiona Leitch, Agatha Christie, and anyone who loves their murders with a side of charm!

All Harriet wanted was a quiet day off from work but first a body is found buried in the derelict greenhouse behind the home she rents an apartment in, and then a stranger arrives in town and is wandering around with a picture of a past Raven’s Edge resident trying to identify him; and finally she has to deal with a dead body in front of her mother’s home. As she and DI Ben Taylor investigate it appears both bodies are linked to events from the past and maybe even from Harriet’s own family’s past.

This is turning out to be a very interesting series. Where previously we have focused more on Ben or Milla this time we focus on events almost exclusively from Harriet’s point of view.  This means all three of our main characters are getting their chance to be fleshed out even more than we might see in most cosy mysteries. Granted, with all the twists and turns in all their pasts and the links of the past to the present we almost have an English village version of Peyton Place for a setting (do people still remember Peyton Place?) I really enjoyed getting to see more of the “real Harriet” that she hides behind her professionalism otherwise and the village itself is one I would love to visit. The twists and turns in the murders led to some really interesting conclusions and, at least for the body in the greenhouse, not to a murderer I suspected.  Ms Marley has more adventures for Ben, Harriet and Milla planned and I can’t wait to see how these characters continue to grow. Highly recommended. ~~ Stephanie L Bannon

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