A Meeting With Murder

Reviewers of A Meeting With Murder: Miss Gascoigne mysteries book 1 said:

'Every character becomes someone you know, someone you grow to like or dislike as Allan draws you in, not as a spectator, but as a participator. An outsider who becomes so enthralled with the events as they unfold that you actually can not help but want to try and solve this plot before anyone else does. Mystery, intrigue, suspense, romance, and nostalgia. This book has it all!'

'another great cosy mystery which we're so used to with this author... the description of the town and characters was so vivid it was like I was part of the community'

'Set in the 60s, the novel is rich in period detail with fabulous descriptions of the homes and the clothing, and a great 'ear' for the dialogue of the time... A cracking book, peopled with memorable characters'

'Good read, I liked it! I also liked that the story was a continuation of a beloved series. Its new for me to read a book set in the swinging sixties'

Dee Gascoigne's life is a mess. Her marriage is over, she's lost her job, and now she's recovering from a nasty bout of bronchitis. Her family send her off to stay with an old friend in a small village by the sea. A change of scene and a spot of relaxation should be just what Dee needs as she ponders her future.

But even in a tiny place like Porthlea, malice and danger lurk. Dee quickly discovers there's nothing like a murder to take her mind off her problems. The local police are not interested, but nothing can stop Dee asking questions. After all, she comes from a long line of nosy women!

The Miss Gascoigne mysteries are a series of traditional mysteries set in Britain in the 'Swinging 60s' and featuring Diana 'Dee' Gascoigne as an amateur detective who stumbles over dead bodies almost as often as your average dog-walker. Between jobs and with a penchant for solving a mystery, she is aided and abetted by her brother Rob, studying to be a barrister, who helps her to pit her wits against the 'official' team of investigators, which sometimes includes her 'kind-of cousin', Inspector Bill Hardy, and his sidekick, Sergeant Nahum 'Nat' Porter.

Extract:

She felt a deep reluctance to enter the room. Already she knew this was no ordinary moment. There was a musty stale smell, and something else besides. The metallic scent of blood on the air. She was still puzzling over the idea of there being blood as she went into the room. After all, no one had said anything about...

She stopped dead. Staring at the scene, her brain scrambled to make sense of the picture in front of her. Someone was seated in an armchair beside a circular dining-table. On the table was a wine bottle and a single glass with a small amount of wine left in it. Beside the wine bottle, the radio was still playing softly, the music was an old danceband tune that seemed hauntingly out of place in the circumstances. The goosebumps stood out down Dee's arms.

Unwillingly, yet knowing it could not be avoided, Dee forced herself to look at the body.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Caron Allan Fiction
Published: 05/01/2026
ISBN: 9781919497310
Pages: 360
Weight: 0.82lbs
Size: 8.00h x 5.25w x 0.75d