A quaint cottage in a pretty Victorian terrace with a neatly tended garden stands quiet and still… but inside the bedroom a woman lies dead upon the floor.

Sukey Reynolds is enjoying a quiet period at work, taking time to get her garden in hand, catch up on some cooking and spend time with her son. Murder is the last thing on her mind…

But when she is called to the charming Ivy House to photograph the dead body of a young woman, Sukey feels compelled to drop everything and do all she can to shed light on this baffling mystery. And whilst collecting evidence at a nearby hotel which had a break-in around the same time as the murder, she starts to wonder if the two cases might be linked.

The manager just happened to let slip that one of her guests went white as a sheet after reading about the death and disappeared shortly afterwards. The very same guest whose room was broken into… Sukey has a shrewd suspicion about who this man might be, and she fears he too could be in danger.

Although she voices her theories, her detective colleagues are in no mood for any more of her amateur sleuthing. Sukey realises that if she wants to pursue her lead, she’ll have to do it alone. When Sukey agrees to a secret meeting by a remote river, has she made a terrible mistake? Has the killer lured her into the woods and into a trap?

If you love novels by Agatha Christie, Faith Martin or Joy Ellis, then this addictive mystery from the bestselling queen of cozy crime will have you hooked from the very first page!

This book was previously published as Dirty Work.

What readers are saying about Betty Rowlands:

‘Riveting, can’t put it down! I love this story… a wonderfully twisted tale of a crime that has more twists than I thought possible… fantastic.’ Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars

‘It was unwise of me to begin this book in late afternoon because it held me to the pages until I finished it!… diabolical twists and red herrings… addictive!’ Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars

‘OMG I loved this book! A proper whodunnit with great characters and a fabulousplot. This reminded me of the Agatha Christie mysteries I used to read as a child… Excited for the next in the series!’ Mrs Roadley Reads, 5 stars

‘BRILLIANT!… Having read and enjoyed the Melissa Craig series as well, I find the Sukey Reynolds even more engaging and I can’t wait to ready more in this series!’ Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars

‘Yay, a new series by Betty Rowlands and a new heroine to cheer for in Sukey Reynolds. I am a huge fan of this author’s books and this one with all its twists and turns is another delicious book and series to follow.’ NetGalley Reviewer, 5 stars