Mystery

The Playing Fields

on October 11, 2021

An Alex Duggins Mystery #7
Severn House
October 1, 2021
ISBN-10: 178029123X
ISBN-13: 978-1780291239

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When two bodies are discovered within six weeks of one another, it would appear that a serial killer is at large in the sleepy Cotswold village of Folly.

Six weeks after a battered body is found in the grounds of the village cricket club, DCI Dan O’Reilly and his team are no further forward in the investigation. No witnesses, no leads, no clues whatsoever. Then a second body is discovered in the nearby tithe barn used by the local amateur dramatics society, artfully posed just like the first. Could there be a serial killer on the loose?

When evidence leads O’Reilly to visit the Black Dog pub, owner Alex Duggins and her partner Tony are once again drawn into a police investigation.

But Tony is dealing with some disturbing news of his own. Someone from his past has reached out and threatens all he holds dear. Are they who they claim to be, and what do they really want . . .?


Trap Lane

on September 16, 2019

Crème de la Crime / First World Publication
October 1, 2019
ISBN-10: 1780291175
ISBN-13: 978-1780291178

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The troubled past of the Black Dog’s manager returns to haunt him in the intriguing new Cotswold village mystery featuring pub owner Alex Duggins.

Although he has always kept his past carefully hidden, as the ever-reliable manager of her well-stocked pub, The Black Dog, Hugh Rhys has Alex Duggins’ total trust. However the unexpected arrival of two women from his past raises the fury of the usually even-tempered Hugh, threatens his carefully-crafted reputation and sends shockwaves through the village.

When a battered body is discovered in a deep pond near Hugh’s estate, Alex and her partner Tony are once again pulled into a chilling murder investigation. With Hugh’s odd behaviour ensuring that he becomes the police’s chief suspect, Alex determines to prove his innocence. But she’s about to find herself walking a dangerous line, looking for a killer she may wish she had never found …


Whisper the Dead

on February 15, 2018

Severn House Publishers
April 1, 2018
ISBN-10: 1780290993
ISBN-13: 978-1780290997

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With plot twists galore and an array of credible suspects, this traditional village mystery series will appeal to fans of M.C. Beaton and Midsomer Murders.

When Alex Duggins comes across a terrifying scene at the site of a new housing development, once again she is drawn into a case of brutal murder.

A new year arrives and winter holds Britain’s Cotswold Hills in its icy grip once more. But it’s the construction of a new housing development that’s causing the residents of Folly-on-Weir most concern. As she passes the site late one afternoon, pub owner Alex Duggins is confronted by the terrifying scene of a construction trailer on fire and a man desperately trying to break the door down.

Her efforts to help — and the subsequent findings of the police forensic pathologist — draw Alex and her friend Tony Harrison into a major murder investigation whose tentacles will reach right to the heart of the tight-knit Folly community — and into Alex’s own past …


Lies That Bind

on April 21, 2017

Crème de la Crime
June 1, 2017
ISBN-10: 1780290942
ISBN-13: 978-1780290942

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When a young boy finds a body in a neighbouring village, once again Alex Duggins is drawn into a case of cold-blooded murder.

When a body is discovered in the neighbouring village of Underhill, Alex Duggins, owner of Folly-on-Weir’s premier pub, The Black Dog, is determined not to get involved — for once. But when she learns that the person who found the body was young Kyle Gammage, who helps out at her friend Tony’s veterinary clinic, she and Tony are reluctantly drawn into the murder investigation.

In her desire to protect Kyle and his elder brother Scoot, Alex finds herself withholding vital information from the police. It’s a misjudgement that will have far-reaching — and possibly fatal — consequences. Her relationship with Tony under strain, has Alex’s silence put her and those she loves in danger?

“The discovery of a murder victim in a Cotswolds village puts a family at risk of being torn apart.
Sid Gammage is willing to do what it takes to support his kids—teenagers, really—but the extra hours at work mean that he can’t always be physically present for them. That’s OK, because the town of Folly-on-Weir is invested in making sure Kyle and Scoot are looked after one way or another. Local veterinarian Tony Harrison, who’s in the process of vetting Kyle for some work at his practice, asks Alex Duggins to fill him in on Kyle’s home life. Not only is Alex Scoot’s sometime employer at the town’s only pub, The Black Dog, but she’s also Tony’s sometime girlfriend, and that means her word goes far with Tony. Tony’s all set to take on Kyle at the practice when both of the Gammage boys suddenly need a lot more support than part-time jobs will offer: Kyle finds a body in the woods and Sid goes missing. Kyle is certain that if he tells police his father isn’t home, both he and Scoot will be carted off to children’s services. Alex tries to run interference, but it’s not her first time dabbling in investigating (Melody of Murder, 2016, etc.), and the local police are wary about what her involvement might mean. If she can suss out the killer, the victim, or the motive, maybe she can help solve the crime and keep the boys’ living arrangements under wraps until Sid returns to his responsibilities.
Cameron provides several elements that will delight series fans, from an interesting frame for her story to a protagonist who can be charmingly human, a trait as rare as it is welcome in the genre.” — Kirkus

“Picturesque Folly-on-Weir in the Cotswolds has the unfortunate reputation of being a “murder magnet,” and in the middle of every case are pub owner Alex Duggins and her partner, Tony Harrison. This time a young boy, Kyle, makes the gruesome discovery of a woman’s body in some nearby woods. Kyle and his brother, Scoot, are new to the area, and Alex is disturbed that the boys are left alone for long periods of time by their truck-driver dad. Since their mother deserted them years ago, this means the boys are near orphans. Alex and Tony, with help from the villagers, take the boys in, but then Kyle is abducted, and everyone fears the worst. When Alex investigates, she has a strong feeling she’s being watched. As the police begin to unravel the case, they discover a dark backstory, both disturbing and ultimately tragic. As usual, Cameron gets it just right, with a good feel for English village life, plenty of suspense, and a heroine who is both savvy and fearless.” — Booklist


Melody of Murder

on June 15, 2016

Crème de la Crime
June 15, 2016
ISBN-10: 1780290845
ISBN-13: 978-1780290843

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The arrival of a talented, ambitious and unusual new family leads to mayhem and murder in the peaceful Cotswold village of Folly-on-Weir.

The idyllic Cotswold village of Folly-on-Weir, with its traditional pub, sumptuous tea rooms and fragrant bakery, is a piece of paradise found … until ‘those incomer Quillams’ arrive. A young piano virtuoso and his neglected but talented half-sister, their controlling father, the pianist’s beautiful, acquisitive and passionate mother, an ambitious family retainer, and an intimidating woman who has always run the Quillam household form a successful little empire — until it starts to crumble.

The Quillams’ arrival has also attracted the attentions of a sly, clever and perverted killer who desperately needs a jackpot and knows where to find one — if the obstacles can be removed. Once again pub owner Alex Duggins and her veterinarian friend Tony Harrison must use their wits and resourcefulness to prevent further carnage — and ensure that they themselves don’t become the killer’s next victims.


Out Comes the Evil

on October 9, 2015

Crème de la Crime
December 1, 2015
ISBN-10: 1780290780
ISBN-13: 978-1780290782

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Second in the traditional British mystery series featuring rural inn owner and amateur sleuth Alex Duggins: an intriguing departure for bestselling romantic suspense author Stella Cameron.

Once again Alex Duggins and her veterinarian friend Tony Harrison are thrown into a major murder investigation. An almost fresh body is discovered in a disused well among the ruins of a 14th-century manor house … the motive for the killing a baffling mystery. The victim was a widow who had lived quietly in the picturesque Cotswolds village of Folly-on-Weir for the past ten years. Who on earth could want her dead, and by such brutal means?

As rumour and speculation engulf the town, another woman is attacked – and Alex discovers that behind a tranquil face lurks a cunning and vengeful mind. Despite warnings from the police to stop interfering, she finds herself in the sights of a ruthless killer who has decided she knows too much …

Read an excerpt…


Folly

on February 13, 2015

“Cameron digs deep into the dirt of an idyllic English village when the past comes back to haunt the present for the sharply-etched townsfolk in this chilling tale of murder.” —Mary Daheim, New York Times bestselling author of the acclaimed Alpine Mystery Series and the Bed and Breakfast Mystery Series about COLD

Folly

Hardcover
Creme de la Crime, LLC
May 2015
ISBN: 978-1780290713

Introducing Alex Duggins

You can’t outrun the past…

Following the breakdown of her marriage, Alex Duggins has returned to her picturesque hometown of Folly-on-Weir in the Cotswolds in order to start afresh. But you can’t outrun the past, as Alex is about to discover when she stumbles across a frosted corpse buried in the snow. The subsequent murder investigation threatens to unearth old secrets — including Alex’s own. As Folly-on-Weir braces for a chilling winter and Alex finds herself top of the police’s suspect list, she determines to clear her name and find the real murderer. But as she begins to peel back the layers of deception that have long-concealed one of the town’s darkest secrets, she herself becomes the target of a ruthless killer who has nothing left to lose. Will Alex be the next snow-covered body to be found in the beautiful hills above the town?

FOLLY was originally published August 13, 2013 as COLD in eBook format.

“[Stella Cameron] excels at assembling an intriguing cast of characters laden with dark histories. A thrilling conclusion, combined with cliffhanger chapter endings, guarantees readers will be flipping the pages late into the night.” —Library Journal

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