Murder at the Marquee

Eliza Thomson Investigates #7

by V.L. McBeath

The summer village fete, a newly erected marquee and a missing tent peg
Eliza Thomson Investigates…

August 1905: Recently home from their trip to Brighton, Eliza and Connie are deep in preparation for the local village fete.

Half the villagers are involved too, and once the marquee is assembled, it soon fills up with eager stall holders.

With the competition prizes awarded, the afternoon is almost at an end, but everything stops when a body is found hidden amongst the debris. Dead!

With more visitors to the village than usual, and a victim with more enemies than friends, the list of murder suspects is long. But a chance meeting in the local pub may narrow the field.

Eliza and Connie are keen to help the police with their enquiries, but when Inspector Adams arrives from New Scotland Yard, he clearly has something else on his mind. Can Eliza use her diplomatic skills to make sure the killer is found while keeping the peace at the police station?

Genres: Historical

296 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 22, 2023

About the author

Val is an accidental author! She started writing in 2010 when she realised the family history research she was working on would make a great story.

That story ultimately turned into The Ambition & Destiny Series, a five part series with a short story prequel.

By the time that was complete, Val had developed a taste for writing and began a series of historical cozy mysteries - Eliza Thomson Investigates.

Prior to writing, Val trained as a scientist and worked in the pharmaceutical industry for many years. In 2012, she set up her own consultancy business, and currently splits her time between business and writing.

Born and raised in Liverpool (UK), Val now lives in Cheshire with her husband, two daughters and a cat. In addition to family history, her interests include rock music and Liverpool Football Club.

Reviews

[Avis Witter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eliza and Connie ride again! Their interference in a murder case is not appreciated by the police force once more. Only P.C. Cooper understands how helpful these two ladies are and lets them gather much needed statements and clues from the people of two villages after a body is found in the marquee during a fete. I’ve got to admit I found this story a little confusing but perhaps the author wrote it that way. Some of the characters were either not telling the truth or withholding vital evidence so Eliza and Connie had to interview them on multiple occasions to get to the truth. I even thought of drawing a mind map to see if I could work out “whodunit” before the end of the book. That brought a smile to my face. No! No trying to work it out, just read on and enjoy the puzzle. Let the author lead you through the maze with dead ends and twists and turns to the final reveal. It was an enjoyable journey.

Great characters showing that women did have brains and should not be left on the side lines. We also see a bit more of the relationship between Connie and P.C. Cooper and how it is developing. Another good addition to the series and I look forward to the next one.

[Catherine Stratman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The village fete and a body.

Eliza and Connie are knee deep in preparations for the Moreton village fete. Everything runs smoothly thru the sales and competition awards but then a body is found. With all the extra visitors to the village, the suspect list is large. And the victim has met with several of the villagers and the out of town visitors. And Inspector Adams is not happy with being in Moreton and is taking it out on the local police station. Can Eliza and Connie solve the murder and keep the peace? Such a good addition to the series!

I received an ARC. This is my honest review.

[Marissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eliza and Connie are busy wit the town fete as well as most of the inhabitants of the small town.

An erected marquee will collapse due to a missing peg causing it to collapse on majority of the citizens. There will be a body to be found in the aftermath. But was it due to the collapse or was a murder?

Eliza will have to help maintain the peace in the town as she helps to investigate the situation.

A charming read wit a strong female sleuth. I can not wait for the next installment in this cozy read.

[Loretta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eliza Thompson and her assistant Connie are attending the annual Fete selling cakes when the body of Mr. Hobbs is found under a table. Eliza gets involved as usual checking and interviewing all the people involved helping the police with information she knows. Keeps your interest trying to figure who killed Mr. Hobbs!

[Anne Newman · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a fête being held in the village. There was trouble with the erected marquee so a couple of the workers came to rectify it. When the fête is over one of them was found to have been murdered. Eliza & Connie help the Sergeant & find several leads. Things slowly begin to come together. Inspector Adams gets called in to help find the answer. Together they solve the crime.

[Karin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who killed Mr. Hobbs and why??? Betting on the horses??? Thank you, Mrs. Hartley!!! I enjoyed this story and recommended the book.

[davidlowe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent read.

Another excellent well thought out convincing novel. Had a job to put this book down for any length of time. Highly recommended.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eliza and Connie enjoyed their vacation and came home to a crime. Another fantastic story with two awesome detectives that will draw you into this intriguing mystery. Can’t wait for more.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

After their recent holiday away, the last thing Eliza and the gang needed was another murder. And this time, at the seemingly harmless annual county fete. But murder is no respecter of places or times and when one is determined enough, they will kill.

Another exciting read in this popular series. Great fun, more please!