A fun series of classic cozy mystery novels set in a village in the Cotswolds
The Sophie Sayers Cozy Mysteries follow the exploits of a young English woman who inherits a country cottage from her Great Auntie May, a famous travel writer, and starts a new life in a little village in the Cotswolds. It’s not long before she realises that you don’t have to travel beyond the village of Wendlebury Barrow to have adventures.
With a cast of loveable English eccentrics and an idyllic Cotswold setting, the first seven books run through the course of a village year from one summer to the next, then the series will continue in seasonal order.
PRAISE FOR THE SOPHIE SAYERS COZY MYSTERIES
A cracking example of cosy crime – Katie Fforde, bestselling romantic novelist
Debbie Young delves into the awkwardness of human nature in a deft and funny way: think Miss Marple meets Bridget Jones. – Belinda Pollard, Wild Crimes series
Debbie Young’s books are both cracking mysteries and laugh-out-loud funny. Murder in the Manger contains one of the funniest openings to a book. Period. I can’t get enough of them and tell the whole world to buy them. – Wendy H Jones, author of the DI Shona McKenzie Mysteries
I have a feeling that reading the Sophie Sayers Mysteries as a set may become an annual thing. – Laura Bonnici, aka @LozieMay on Twitter
Best Murder in Show (1)
A dead body on a carnival float at the village show. A clear case of murder in plain sight, but why do none of the villagers agree? Sophie is determined to find out – with a little help from the dashing Hector Munro, proprietor of the village bookshop.
Murder at the Vicarage (2)
As Halloween approaches, whose body will be found outside his village bookshop? Not to mention the one buried beneath the vicar’s bonfire… Sophie struggles to save the day before anyone else can come to harm – and to get Hector back on her side. (Previously published as Trick or Murder?)
Murder in the Manger (3)
When Sophie writes a nativity play for the village children and drama group, it soon goes off-script – and the whole community stands accused of murder. Enjoy the fun of a traditional Cotswold Christmas, with echoes of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.
Murder at the Well (4)
A dead body at the bottom of the well. But whose body and why? Tempers flare and old feuds catch fire in the latest laugh-out-loud Sophie Sayers Village mystery about love, loyalty and family ties in the run-up to Valentine’s Day. (Previously published as Murder by the Book.)
Springtime for Murder (5)
When an old lady is left for dead in an open grave, Sophie suspects foul play. When it comes to suspects, she’s spoiled for choice. A lively array of eccentrics joins the regular cast in this compelling story of family, friendship, love and loss.
Murder at the Mill (6)
When Sophie Sayers joins a writers’ retreat on a secluded Greek island, she’s hoping to find inspiration. Away from her rural English comfort zone, she also takes stock of her relationship with her boyfriend Hector. But scarcely has the writing course begun when bestselling romantic novelist Marina Milanese disappears… (Previously published as Murder Your Darlings)
Murder Lost and Found (7)
Finding a dead body in the village school’s lost property cupboard during the summer holidays is bad enough – but when the body disappears and the police refuse to investigate, it’s down to Sophie Sayers to get to the bottom of the mystery and save the village school from the threat of closure. This seventh mystery marks the end of Sophie’s first year in the Cotswold village of Wendlebury Barrow.
Murder in the Highlands (8)
When Sophie takes Hector to meet her parents in Inverness, her hopes for a carefree getaway are thrown into disarray as soon as they cross the border – with a sinister encounter at Gretna Green and a series of assaults on Hector as she takes him to her favourite places in Inverness. But why does Hector claim these attacks are accidents? And what’s the truth behind the mysterious inscription in the Gaelic poetry book he gives her mother? This eighth adventure starts and finishes in the Cotswold village of Wendlebury Barrow, with appearances by favourite local characters.
Driven to Murder (9)
Change is coming to Wendlebury Barrow – and not everyone is happy about it. When the local bus company announces it will be stopping its route through their quaint Cotswold village, the people of Wendlebury Barrow are up in arms. Not least Sophie Sayers, whose driving lessons with her boyfriend Hector get off to a bumpy start. But the locals’ peaceful protests against the decision turn deadly when a body is discovered on the Number 27. Sophie immediately suspects foul play, and launches her own investigation. Can she solve the murder before another passenger is hurt?