'A vivid cast of characters, endless intrigue and all the fun of a Golden Age mystery await you at Kilfenora House' Catherine Ryan Howard

'Witty, twisty and featuring my favourite antiheroine in a long time' Alex Marwood

Murder is easy ... when it doesn't look like murder

Tess Morgan has finally made her dream of restoring beautiful Kilfenora House and Gardens into a reality.

But during rehearsals for the play that forms the opening weekend's flagship event, her dream turns into a nightmare when a devastating accident looks set to ruin her carefully laid plans.

There are rumours that Kilfenora House is cursed, but this feels personal, and becomes increasingly terrifying when more than one body is discovered. Could someone be closing in on Tess herself?

Clarissa Westmacott, ex star of stage and screen, certainly believes so, particularly when she learns that purple-flowered aconite has been picked from the Poison Garden. And Clarissa will stop at nothing to protect the friend she has come to see as a daughter...

"A country house thriller packed with twists" - Woman's Own

"Blake's take on the country house mystery is full of incident... The cat steals every scene it's in" - Times Crime Club

"If a modern take on the old-fashioned "big house murder mystery" is your thing then you'll inhale this novel in one sitting... Blake has thrown everything into this pot (or plot!) and keeps tight reins on it right to the shocking end" - Sunday Independent

"Well plotted ... pacing is expert, twists, turns and cliffhangers handed out in timely fashion ... an effective and satisfying whodunit with a wicked resolution" - Irish Examiner

"Perfectly plotted" - Belfast Telegraph