Bitter Harvest

Bunburry #19

by Helena Marchmont, Nathaniel Parker (Narrator)

A wealthy developer has turned up in the picturesque Cotswolds village of Bunburry with the aim of building a luxury golf course. It will mean buying up nearby farmland, and the locals are bitterly divided over the scheme. Then one of the leading opponents is found dead in a murder staged to look like an accident. The Bunburry police are on the case, but so is self-made millionaire and amateur sleuth Alfie McAlister, backed by his elderly friends Liz and Marge, fellow members of the Bunburry Triangle.

As they all uncover other longstanding mysteries and secrets, police officer Emma Hollis enlists Alfie’s help. But Alfie decides to delve further than he was asked. Has his meddling jeopardised the discovery of who the murderer is?

Genres: Audiobook, Cozy Mystery, Mystery, Crime

Audiobook

Published October 1, 2025

About the author

Helena Marchmont is a pseudonym of Olga Wojtas, who was born and brought up in Edinburgh. She was encouraged to write by an inspirational English teacher, Iona M. Cameron. Olga won a Scottish Book Trust New Writers Award in 2015, has had more than 30 short stories published in magazines and anthologies and recently published her first mystery Miss Blaine's Prefect and the Golden Samovar.

Reviews

[Brady · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 rounded up

[Felicia Näslund · Rating 4 out of 5]

The town of Bunburry is divided when new investors enter the scene in hopes of buying the farmers land to build a luxury golf resort, resulting in old wounds being reopened as it is not only newcomers that has arrived in the cozy town & one of the people who plays a key role in the drama is one of Alfies closest friends.

I found this book to be more entertaining than some of the others thanks to the fail ability of the main character Alfie McAllister.
Since he has been a bit of a golden child in the previous installments, it felt nice to be able to see him be human instead of perfect & composed in the eyes of the villagers all the time.

One of the negative aspects of the story was that they once again failed to acknowledge the importance of any actions made by the characters not in the "Bunburry Triangle", Alfies girlfriend Emma or the temporary characters which makes the interactions between the main characters & the secondary ones feel disingenuous.

However, the world build & plot writing is very nicely written & most of the time it is easy to follow along in the dialogues.

[Bronwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cozy mystery in the Cotswolds

Alfie needs to get out of his own way where his relationship with Emma is concerned. Sure, he's a member of The Bunburry Triangle and assists the police in their inquiries, but is completely clueless about Emma's thoughts on marriage. It's a good thing Aunt Lis and Marge are keeping an eye on Augusta's nephew.
Always a delight to check in with the Bunburry crew and a perfect read for a rainy day cozy read.

[Kaija · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lukijana upea Nathaniel Parker.
Rakastan lukijaa, hän eläytyy juuri sopivasti ja hänen lukutahtinsa on myös mainio. Annoin 5 tähteä, vaikka pohdinkin, että oliko juoni liian heppoinen. Pidin siitä, että Liz ja Marge saivat pientä roolia tässä, mutta rikoksen selvittäminen oli kyllä minimissä. Alfien ja Enman tarina sentään eteni. Vaikka pidänkin kovasti tästä sarjasta, jäi itselle vähän vaisu olo etenkin juonen kehittelyn suhteen. Mutta toivotaan jatkosta vähän napakampaa, aineksiahan on.

[MS M ADAMS · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fun mystery!

This a a classic cozy mystery and it is both fun and entertaining with a mystery to solve. All the main characters are engaging and even though there is crime and murder there is an overall feel good factor.

[Lavada Haga · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book

This is book 19 in the series and I have read them all. I love Bunburry! The characters are wonderful! The mysteries are clever . I enjoyed reading this book very much.

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I normally enjoy the Bunburry books, but this time Alfie and Emma not properly communicating their respective wishes for getting married spoiled everything for me. A man assuming to know what a woman wants - and that written by a female author...

[Homerun2 · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars

[Catherine Jaime · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the Bunburry series!

Great characters, just enough interesting plot turns, make each of these stories loads of fun, and this latest one was no exception!

[Ivee · Rating 5 out of 5]

oh so cute!

This is such a light series. Love each and everyone of them. You just get into the characters and they take a life on their own.

[Sheila Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another cracker in this series, fabulous cosy series with very loveable main characters. I so enjoy seeing the backstory develop

[Annie Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best cosy mysteries around

Nothing but a pleasure in every installment. I would read these every day. Write faster, please dear Ms Marchmont! Xx

[Ann Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

absolutely enjoyable

This was a very fun to read, witty, cozy, and so enjoyable I had a hard time pointing it down.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good story but the murder sort of took a back seat.

[Pinky · Rating 4 out of 5]

The merits of organic produce were debated in this mystery about neighboring farms up for redevelopment.

[Kiersten Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read this entire series, and it is an auto-buy for me at this point. I enjoy reading about all the characters and this plot line was especially fun. Looking forward to the next one!

[Reading Fury · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love, love this series. So fun, so cozy. Marchmont has created a world and characters that we are deeply interested in. Violence is at a minimum, and sex scenes are not necessary for us to understand the flirting, relationship building, and love. The mysteries are interesting, with twists. Write faster Ms. Marchmont!