'Fresh, original and intriguing from start to finish!' Janice Hallett, bestselling author of The Examiner and The Appeal

'What a joy - a brilliant new amateur sleuth to rival Miss Marple!' Good Housekeeping

'More than a cosy crime mystery . . . it's the story of a community' Jennie Godfrey, author of The List of Suspicious Things

Death has come to her doorstep . . .

Retired nurse, avid gardener, renowned cake maker and fearless sleuth Miss Hortense has lived in Bigglesweigh, a quiet Birmingham suburb, since she emigrated from Jamaica in 1960. She takes great pride in her home, starching her lace curtains bright white, and she can tell if she's been short-changed on turmeric before she's even taken her first bite of a beef patty. Thirty-five years of nursing have also left her afraid of nobody - be they a local drug dealer or a priest - and an expert in deciphering other people's secrets with just a glance.

Miss Hortense uses her skills to investigate the investments of the Pardner network - a special community of Black investors, determined to help their people succeed. But when an unidentified man is found dead in one of the Pardner's homes, a Bible quote noted down beside his body, Miss Hortense's long-buried past comes rushing back to greet her, bringing memories of the worst moment of her life, one which her community has never let her forget.

It is time for Miss Hortense to solve a mystery that will see her, and the community she loves, tested to their limits.

'A beautiful novel, suffused with fondness and wit . . . highly entertaining' Alexander McCall Smith, author of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Series

'Unique, compulsive, and laugh-out-loud brilliant!' Nadine Matheson, author of The Jigsaw Man

'A vibrant tribute to the Windrush generation' Jessica Bull, author of Miss Austen Investigates

"What a joy - a brilliant new amateur sleuth to rival Miss Marple!" - Good Housekeeping

"Pennant's plot and characters are top-notch, but the lagniappe of the novel is her portrayal of Bigglesweigh, awash in minor drama that covers up major secrets. She leaves the door wide open for Miss Hortense to probe more crimes, a welcome development indeed" - New York Times

"Pennant's splendid debut mystery introduces readers to an unforgettable new sleuth, the indomitable Miss Hortense" - Washington Post

"A warm, witty mystery that introduces a brilliant new voice in crime fiction" - i Paper

"As an amateur sleuth, Miss Hortense cannot help but investigate - and what she finds is truly jaw-dropping. I read this in two sittings. The mix of characters, some of whom are genuinely laugh-out-loud funny, is fantastic. The plot and the cliff-hanger ending, meanwhile, made this one of my favourite reads of the year" - i Paper

"Pennant populates Bigglesweigh with colourful, well-drawn characters and strikes an appealing tone halfway between sweet and melancholy. A promising start" - Publishers Weekly

"Infused with humor and heartbreak, playwright and screenwriter Pennant's delightful first novel is for readers who enjoy community-based mysteries led by amateur detectives of an older generation, like Jesse Q. Sutanto's Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers or Robert Thorogood's The Marlow Murder Club" - Library Journal

"Pennant's cast of characters is broad and well-drawn as she weaves a complex spiderweb of relationships and events, both past and present. While it has many of the markers of a cozy mystery - an unlikely sleuth, a broad cast of colourful characters, plenty of gossipy intrigue and humour, and even a number of Jamaican recipes - this book is more than that, with some hard truths and dark crimes at its core" - BookPage

"Stellar debut" - Olympian