Ali Simpson

A mysterious telephone call. A cast iron alibi. A family secret. A brutal murder. Could a meek insurance salesman really be a heinous killer? As the extraordinary events of the previous year start to fade in the memory, so do the prospects for Kitty and Markham’s fledging private investigation business. Reduced once again to finding lost pets, it feels as if any hope they had to be taken seriously is as dead as the leaves on the trees. That is until a mild-mannered insurance salesman turns up on the doorstep of Laburnum Villas reaching out to them for help, blissfully unaware that he is soon to be charged with the brutal murder of his disabled brother. The facts are stark, and the police seem convinced of his guilt. But puzzling questions remain. Why would the killer leave a raincoat under the body? Who is the mysterious Holt-Roberts? And, crucially, how could one man be in two places at the same time? With the help of the accused’s solicitor, Kitty and Nora must navigate a path through deceit, secrets and duplicity if they want to uncover the shocking truth behind the shocking crime.

Summer 1930. In a leafy suburb of Torquay of the English Riviera, twin sisters Kitty and Nora Markham enjoy a privileged life. Interested in amateur sleuthing and looking for adventure, they enjoy some success in finding runaway cats and lost purses. However, when a shocking murder is committed a stone’s throw from their home, they decide to do some serious investigating, teaming up with their neighbour Arthur Westacott, son of the Chief Constable, and James Keyse, great-nephew of their housekeeper and newly appointed police constable. It seems like an open and shut case, as a man is immediately arrested and charged with this most deplorable of crimes. However, when Kitty, Nora, Arthur and Jimmy start digging a little deeper, they soon discover a deliciously twisting case that isn’t as clear cut as everything first appears.