A Fatal Find

A Darla Digby Cozy Mystery #1

by Fiona Grace

“A great story of murder, romance, new beginnings, love, friendships and a wonderful cascade of mystery.”
--Amazon reviewer (regarding Murder in the Manor)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A FATAL A DARLA DIGBY COZY MYSTERY (BOOK #1) is the first book in a new cozy mystery series by Fiona Grace, #1 bestselling author of Murder in the Manor, which has over 10,000 five star reviews!

When antiques expert Darla Digby decides it’s time for a change, she quits her appraiser job and seeks out rare antiques for wealthy clients. But when Darla finds herself having to solve a murder mystery, she gets more than she bargained for….

Darla’s hunt for an elusive Tiffany lamp illuminates a deadly path when an auctioneer is found murdered and her love life becomes part of the evidence. Ensnared by the sharp accusations of her professional nemesis, Darla must navigate through lies and auctions to unmask a killer before her own reputation is permanently tarnished.

Plunge into the enchanting world of the Darla Digby series, a place where adventure intertwines with witty humor and charming quirks. Here, you'll find a seamless blend of humor, heartfelt emotions, and unexpected twists. Be prepared to meet an endearing protagonist who is sure to win your heart and keep you engrossed until the early morning hours.

Future books in the series are also available!

"Very entertaining. I highly recommend this book to the permanent library of any reader that appreciates a very well written mystery, with some twists and an intelligent plot. You will not be disappointed. Excellent way to spend a cold weekend!"
--Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (regarding Murder in the Manor)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“The story line wasn't just a who done it, but had a story about her life and romance, including village life. Very entertaining.”
--Amazon reviewer (regarding Murder in the Manor)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“It has endearing and sometimes quirky characters, a plot that keeps you reading and the right amount of romance. I can’t wait to start book two!”
--Amazon reviewer (regarding Murder in the Manor)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“What a great story of murder, romance, new beginnings, love, friendships and a wonderful cascade of mystery.”
--Amazon reviewer (regarding Murder in the Manor)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“This is a clean contemporary romance that you will find hard to put down!”
--Amazon reviewer (regarding Always, Forever)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“A bit of romance and a very determined woman! I have read many of Fiona Grace's novels and loved every one of them—this was no exception. I am looking forward to reading the rest of this new series!”
--Amazon reviewer (regarding Always, With You)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Cozy, Cozy Mystery, Amazon

Kindle Edition

Published May 13, 2025

About the author

Debut author Fiona Grace is author of the LACEY DOYLE COZY MYSTERY series which includes MURDER IN THE MANOR (Book #1), DEATH AND A DOG (Book #2) and CRIME IN THE CAFE (Book #3). Fiona would love to hear from you, so please visit www.fionagraceauthor.com to receive free ebooks, hear the latest news, and stay in touch.

Reviews

[Lise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Darla Digby is done with her mundane job and her womanising boss, who prioritises attractiveness over hard work. Given the opportunity to track down a rare Tiffany lamp for an overwhelmingly good compensation, Darla leaves Manhattan and travels far upstate to search for the missing item. But when she finds an unscrupulous auctioneer murdered, Darla becomes a suspect in the man's death. With limited time, Darla must uncover the truth before she finds herself falsely imprisoned.

3.5 Stars

The careful plotting of the first 3/4 of the book was, sadly, undone in the race to wrap up the story. Alas, while the conclusion was plausible, its unveiling felt unrealistic.

Darla is an intriguing main character. I really enjoyed the developing relationship between Darla and Jack, and was glad that this wasn't overblown. I will read another book in this series as the two characters are charming.

[Kristen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found Darla to be a completely clueless doormat and a twit. She lets everyone take advantage of her and puts up with ridiculous amounts of nonsense when she should tell people to shove it. By page 65 I was done with her. I'm moving onto something else that will hopefully be better for me. This was a big miss.

[Cidney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! It made me smile most of the way through and that's no mean feat!! Darla Digby is fed up of being an appraiser, well not that bit actually, but fed up of her boss's secretary falling over herself to ensnare their boss when she isn't even good at her job. Darla on the other hand is and is feeling fed up of all this by now. Then she gets a call from a wealthy woman who wants to pay Darla an obscene amount of money to track down a willow Tiffany table lamp she saw at an auction and wasn't able to buy it. She will pay her well and all expenses if she can find it. Well Darla is that fed up that she hands in her notice and leaves right away. As you would really! Then she starts getting cold feet as she is wondering is she is being spun a yarn as the woman isn't paying her upfront and she firstly has to borrow her sister's car as she has to get around, and then when she does track down the missing lamp she has to find a hotel which takes in dogs too. (She has a sweet little doggie called Winston who turns out to be very helpful in the detecting stakes!).

She turns up at the auction where the lamp is being auctioned and it's at a very swish hotel and the auctioneer is interested in hearing her say she would pay him well if he doesn't sell it at auction but sells it to her instead. He will be earning much more money that way. Then the auctioneer ends up dead before the auction can take place and the local police officer thinks that Darla did it, and she meets a rather nice guy called Jack who likes dogs and decides to look out for her as he thinks Darla is entering darker unsafe waters.

I like the pacing of the story, the storyline itself and the characters in it, and am so intrigued as to what happens to Darla and Jack that I want to continue with this series!

[Natelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Darla Digby enjoys learning about and finding rare antiques. She doesn’t particularly enjoy being given menial tasks so her boss can fawn over the newest assistant. Needless to say, she jumps at the chance to find a rare piece for a client who offers her a big bonus if she succeeds. Her investigation into the desirable peace leads to another investigation when she finds herself a suspect in a murder case. Will she and her dog come out of this safe and together?

Another book that delivers on the cozy mystery expectations. It seemed to move slowly and not really have much mystery to it, however, so I probably won’t pursue this series.

[Avid · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, fun, fast, who-dun-it stumble on in mystery read. It's a bit more complex than your Scooby Doo detective work, but there is a handy misfit pup who goes along on the capers throughout the book as the young unskilled accused murderer attempts to find a killer instead of landing in jail.

It's light-hearted. I found myself laughing a few times. I have to admit, the feisty pound puppy made the book for me.

👍

[Larry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story. The characters are different, interesting, and the whole plot was like a snowball rolling down the hill and getting bigger. The premise is finding out who killed the auction house owner and why. The answers were hard won and crazy sometimes. It's like the main character stumbled on clue after clue, but her being an appraiser didn't hurt. I definitely recommend this book and look forward to the next one.

[Kandi A. Hudson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun Story

I really enjoyed this story! It has a unique perspective, a good pace of events the occur, nicely developed characters, and an exciting roll out of events regarding a murder, and a satisfying ending, and the potential for a little romance. I can't wait to read more in this series, especially reading about Winston, the dog, and if he will keep challenging dogs that are bigger than him!

[Lorna Francis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the start of this mystery, but half way through was annoyed by the fact that Darla was incapable of having her client pinned down re expenses. I seriously thought of not going any further in this read but am happy I continued on. I am putting this in my review only to encourage anyone like myself to carry on, as it is now clear that the author is letting us see the vulnerabilities in Darla as she grows and developed during her first case.

[Joyce A Higginbotham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun Chase

I enjoyed the many directions this story took. I was stumped until the end. Jack was a fun addition and hopefully he will be back in another Darla Digby tale. Winston was a great sidekick and once he learns a few manners, he will be a good detective along with Darla.

[Leigh Prouty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Antique, murder,and furry friends.

A different twist on a murder and furry friend. The antique collectors and a very good appraiser make for very interesting story. Fast moving, characters described well no loose ends.

[Gary Hahn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Relatively quick and interesting read. First time reading this author and there was plenty of twists and turns and even a surprise ending at least to me. The bad person wasn't who I was thinking it might be. Definitely like to read more of this series.

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story, just wasn’t crazy about the narrating

[Jessica Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Audiobook. Female narrator has a good voice but doesn’t differentiate make and female voices. It was irritating.

[Andrea Latham]

Narrator: Vivienne (synthesized voice)
Releases Date: August 1, 2025
Publisher: Fiona Grace

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

drama

Cute story with an unforeseen ending . Just the right length. Also liked the doggy part in the story with the monies for animals

[Donna Kaczynski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting

This book is a very interesting book. With all the twists and turns it will keep you guessing until the very end.

[Patricia M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great mystery with great characters and story line. It has quick action and quick-thinking characters making common sense decisions and a cute dog side kick.

[Debra Third · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great mystery

I love this I can't wait to read #2This was a great book I'm not leaving any spoilers or anything.

[Mrs. S. Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

This was a light hearted 'Who Done It', delving into the world of antiques, and murder. A very easy engaging read.

[Annette Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

ok

I thought there was a lot of surplus very descriptive writing that I skipped over, so I could continue with the crime aspect, that’s why it got three stars from me.

[Georgia Guerra- Munson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too much nonsense

I couldn't get into it. Too much nonsense about the dog. Too many mishaps.
I had to go to the last chapter to find out what happened.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

New Cozy Series

The main character Darla is interesting as well as the antiquity aspect. I am going to check out book two in the series.