'A little bit Margery Allingham with hints of Mitford, definite tones of Eva Ibbotson and as delightful as I Capture the Castle, D is for Death is an instant classic. I loved it so much' MARIAN KEYES

'I absolutely loved D is for Death - mischievous and Mitford-esque and tender' ALEX HAY

1. Dora'son the first train to London, having smuggled herself out of the house in the middle of the night to escape her impending marriage. But unluckily for her, Dora's fiance is more persistent than most and follows.

As Dora alights at Paddington station, she is immediately forced to run from the loathsome Charles Silk-Butters. She ducks into the London Library to hide and it is there, surrounded by books, where she should feel most safe, that Dora Wildwood stumbles across her first dead body.

Having been thrown into the middle of a murder scene, it's now impossible to walk away. Indeed, Dora's certain she will prove an invaluable help to the gruff Detective Inspector Fox who swiftly arrives on the scene. For as everyone knows, it's the woman in the room who always sees more than anyone else: and no one more so than Dora herself...

D is for Death heralds the launch of a brilliant historical crime series that marries the quality of Dorothy L. Sayers with the ingenuity of Janice Hallett - and in Dora Wildwood introduces a character with the spark and gusto of Enola Holmes and the detective skill of Miss Marple.