The Landlady's Last Christmas

Christmas is coming to Great Biggendon. Ruby Valentine, the vivacious landlady of the Red Lion, has a plan to put her customers in the festive spirit. Tonight is raffle night and Ruby will be handing out prizes to the lucky winners. But is the party atmosphere all it seems? 'It can't be easy for Ruby, running this place without a man to look after her. It's all too common for customers to become aggressive when they're full of alcohol. I hate to say it but one of these nights some lout will become violent and attack her.' This prediction proves horribly accurate when Ruby Valentine's bludgeoned body is found sprawled across the floor of the bar. Sergeant Jack Fairbrother has no shortage of suspects; his problem is to identify which one of them is the murderer. Fortunately for him, village super-sleuth Elspeth Crawford is on hand to help untangle the clues. But not before a second body is discovered. The sergeant is under pressure. 'The chief constable wants to enjoy a peaceful Christmas. If I haven't solved the case by Monday morning he is bringing in Scotland Yard, and I can kiss goodbye to my promotion prospects. What we need right now, Elspeth, is one of your hunches.' The Landlady's last Christmas is a murder mystery set in the 1950s, capturing village life as it was in those simpler, but no less innocent, days.