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Close Call: A Historical Cozy Murder Mystery in an English Village
Nothing is secret in an English village.
Lady Upton has always eschewed the telephone. After all, a letter is a far more civilized way to communicate. And one simply knows that Gladys at the exchange is listening in on every call. But when murder shatters the tranquility of Thistle-Upon-Avon, and Gladys is the first to hear of the latest developments, Lady Upton begins to reconsider her position.
Now, armed with the knowledge that nothing travels faster than gossip down a telephone line, Lady Upton forms a village circle of other ladies-with-telephones to help snare a killer. With a teacup in one hand and the receiver in the other, they untangle alibis, expose lies, and prove that nothing remains secret in an English village for long.
“Close Call” is Book 1 of the Telephone Gossips Mysteries. Suspended in the golden hour between the two wars, the series evokes the charm and idyll of English village life in the late 1920s and early 1930s. But appearances can be deceiving. The glint of the silver tea service hides a flicker of envy in the eye. The melodic tinkling of fine bone china masks the rattle of a skeleton in the closet. And while the lace tablecloth flutters gently in the wind and the parlourmaid in her snow-white apron serves tea, beneath the pristine surface bubble social tensions, ambition, secrets, and murder.
Lady Upton has always eschewed the telephone. After all, a letter is a far more civilized way to communicate. And one simply knows that Gladys at the exchange is listening in on every call. But when murder shatters the tranquility of Thistle-Upon-Avon, and Gladys is the first to hear of the latest developments, Lady Upton begins to reconsider her position.
Now, armed with the knowledge that nothing travels faster than gossip down a telephone line, Lady Upton forms a village circle of other ladies-with-telephones to help snare a killer. With a teacup in one hand and the receiver in the other, they untangle alibis, expose lies, and prove that nothing remains secret in an English village for long.
“Close Call” is Book 1 of the Telephone Gossips Mysteries. Suspended in the golden hour between the two wars, the series evokes the charm and idyll of English village life in the late 1920s and early 1930s. But appearances can be deceiving. The glint of the silver tea service hides a flicker of envy in the eye. The melodic tinkling of fine bone china masks the rattle of a skeleton in the closet. And while the lace tablecloth flutters gently in the wind and the parlourmaid in her snow-white apron serves tea, beneath the pristine surface bubble social tensions, ambition, secrets, and murder.
166 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 8, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 2, 2026
Boil the kettle and open the book
A enjoyable cozy to settle down with on a wet afternoon. It takes the Big House setting and offers a look back into a vanished world of people who could spend their lives dining with their neighbours or having Egyptology as a hobby. Into this world comes death, along with nosiness, curiosity and many other things
A enjoyable cozy to settle down with on a wet afternoon. It takes the Big House setting and offers a look back into a vanished world of people who could spend their lives dining with their neighbours or having Egyptology as a hobby. Into this world comes death, along with nosiness, curiosity and many other things
April 11, 2026
Very cozy!
April 12, 2026
I liked the characters and the Egypt link. Will try the next one in the series.
April 19, 2026
It felt contrived and clunky and I just could not get even halfway
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews