Hidden Secrets

Lucy Harford #2

by P. Thompson

She came to paint the canals. She stayed to solve a murder.

Lucy Harford's narrowboat journey brings her to Burybridge during the town's heritage festival, where she discovers something her late great grandmother's photograph among wartime heroes. Great Gran never mentioned living in Burybridge. She never spoke of the Heritage Preservation Corps. She never explained why the Saxon Whetstone—Burybridge's most valuable artifact—disappeared on her watch.

Now historian Maggie Thornton lies dead in the abbey where she was researching that very theft. The police suspect Lucy. The town suspects everyone. And someone is desperate to ensure the past stays buried.

With cryptic clues hidden in vintage cookbooks, suspicious locals conducting their own investigations, and a helpful librarian who may be too helpful, Lucy must navigate a maze of family secrets and small-town lies. Her journalist friend Emma uncovers wartime betrayals. Bookshop owner Tom interprets coded recipes. And Sir Meows-a-Lot, Lucy's ginger cat, has an uncanny knack for helping find evidence—and causing chaos in the process.

As Lucy pieces together what her great grandmother's generation tried to hide, she realizes the killer isn't just protecting the past. They're eliminating anyone who gets too close to the truth.

In Burybridge, heritage isn't just celebrated—it's deadly.

282 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 14, 2026

About the author

I came to cozy mystery writing through years of listening, in work that placed me alongside people during the most difficult moments of their lives — sitting with grief, navigating conflict, witnessing the complicated ways communities hold together and fall apart. That experience taught me something that shapes every book I write: people are rarely simple, motives are rarely clean, and the most interesting truths are usually the ones nobody is saying aloud.

I created Lucy Harford because I wanted to write mysteries where the puzzle is satisfying and the people caught up in it feel real. Lucy is a former police constable who left the force after a career-ending injury and now lives aboard her narrowboat The Curious Cat, painting watercolours and travelling England’s canal network. She didn’t plan on solving murders. But she has an artist’s eye for detail, a detective’s instinct for the things people would rather keep hidden, and a sense of justice that won’t let her walk away. Her companion Sir Meows-a-Lot — a formerly stray ginger cat with impeccable timing and questionable respect for boundaries — makes sure life aboard is never entirely peaceful.

I’ve walked England’s canal towpaths, cycled the lanes and villages, and I know the landscapes and communities Lucy travels through — the beauty, the quiet tensions, the way a place can look idyllic from the towpath and turn out to be holding its breath. My writing draws on that firsthand knowledge, and on an understanding of village and small-town life that comes from being embedded in it for a long time.

These are mysteries for readers who want more than a puzzle. The crimes are solved through observation, intelligence, and genuine understanding of people. The communities Lucy passes through are warm and complicated in equal measure. And the stories ask questions that stay with you — about how we remake ourselves after loss, what we owe each other, and what happens when the secrets a community has been keeping finally surface.

When I’m not writing, I’m most likely on a country lane or towpath somewhere, discovering the places that will become Lucy’s next destination. At home, a calico cat provides editorial oversight of varying quality.

Reviews

[Jeri Massi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The strongest elements of this mystery novel are the visual elements. I'm an American, and I really appreciated and enjoyed the descriptions of the town whose history went all the back to the Saxons. I felt fascinated by the "narrowboat" and was a little disappointed that in a novel with such great descriptions, that the narrowboat was not more fully described: a detail here and a detail there. Then again, British people know what narrow boats are. So I get why the writer did not include more detail. If you enjoy a strong presence of setting, you will really enjoy this book. Also, Sir Meows-a-Lot often steals a scene. I especially enjoyed that character.

But once you get away from its excellent beginning, the story at times disappoints. Lucy has discovered a town of people who each will tell you, a perfect stranger who seems to be just passing through, their full name, what they do, the entire history of the town, and their opinions of other townspeople you have not even met yet. And I mean everybody does that. Everything in the first chapter comes at you too quickly and too mechanically to suit my taste. The writer is too quicky and too obviously laying out the cast of characters.

Also, the look back at WWII history and the preserving of historic artifacts was interesting. The whetstone was fascinating, but American readers would benefit from a better description at the first mention. The mechanism of the mystery having to do with recipes was also brilliant, except Lucy and Tom, once they discover the recipes, solve it in about 20 seconds. I found that hard to believe.

There are some other logic gaps. I didn't write them down except for one: "Tom had gone still in the way he did when his mind had caught something." Lucy had just met Tom a day or two before, but he is written (and continues to be written) as though they know each other prety well. In a less obvious way, this was often an issue: Lucy behaves as though she has been there longer than she has been, and she is immediately accepted into the community as though she is familiar to the people.

As I have written in at least one other review, this cozy mystery strikes me as a "Cabot Cove" type of mystery. It's fairly bland with characters that are distinct from each other but not really vivid or memorable. If you like puzzle, cozy-type mysteries where the emphasis is on working out the solution and eliminating suspects as you go, you will really enjoy this book.

[Mindy Mather · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Clever Mystery That Kept Me Guessing

This was such a fun mystery to read. From the moment Lucy arrives in Burybridge, the story pulls you into a web of secrets, history, and suspicious characters that make it impossible not to start forming your own theories about what really happened all those years ago.
One of the things I enjoyed most was how the mystery slowly unfolds through different clues. Between the wartime photograph, the missing Saxon Whetstone, and the mysterious death of the historian, there are so many threads to follow. The coded recipes hidden in wartime cookbooks and the carefully guarded archives were especially clever touches that made the investigation feel unique and engaging.
Lucy is a great main character because she approaches everything with curiosity and determination. You really feel like you are discovering the truth alongside her as she digs deeper into her great grandmother’s past. The supporting characters also add a lot of personality to the story, especially Emma with her journalistic instincts and Tom Brewer with his knowledge of rare books and hidden meanings.
And I have to mention Sir Meows a Lot. The cat brings a fun and charming energy to the story and often seems to stumble into important moments in the most amusing ways.
What made this book especially entertaining for me was trying to figure out the mystery before Lucy did. Every new clue made me rethink my suspicions, and the story kept me guessing right up until the truth finally came out.
Overall, this was a very enjoyable mystery with a great mix of history, secrets, and clever puzzle solving. If you like mysteries where you can play detective alongside the main character, this one is definitely worth picking up.

[Leanne Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

An Enjoyable Read

This was overall a good read. I really like the use of the narrowboat that brings Lucy to each community. The setting of a quaint village, steeped in history, makes an excellent backdrop to this mystery. I enjoyed the characters, particularly the cat. The story takes you through a variety of clues, building on each other, to a final conclusion. There was some incongruency with some of the plot details which was a bit confusing. For example, at one point the cat knocks a photograph off the table but Lucy catches it, notices something odd about it, takes the back off and discovers an additional part of the photo folded underneath. A few chapters later, it is presented as the picture frame breaking, allowing Lucy to make the find. Fixing these inconsistencies would tighten up the plot.

[Prateek Mehta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hidden Secrets by P. Thompson is a wonderful cozy mystery that perfectly balances lighthearted moments with a genuinely intriguing plot. Lucy Harford makes for a great main character because her background as a former police officer gives her amateur sleuthing a lot of credibility. The setting of the narrowboat and the English village feels incredibly authentic and draws you right into the story. The historical elements are woven into the modern murder mystery naturally without feeling forced. Sir Meows a Lot is a fantastic addition for any cat lover and brings a lot of charm to the book. Overall it is a very satisfying read that keeps you guessing until the very end and is a perfect choice for any fan of traditional British mysteries.

[Kahlani Steele · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Hidden Secrets: A Lucy Harford Narrowboat Mystery” by P. Thompson is a murder mystery. The story follows Lucy, who lives on her narrowboat and travels up and down the English canals. She arrives in Burybridge and stumbles upon a murder. Drawing on her experience as a former police constable, she follows clues – a hidden photograph, a coded recipe, and the archives – while delving into her grandmother’s past to unravel the mystery. With Lucy is her cat, Sir Meows-a-Lot, who just happens to stumble across clues that help solve another puzzle piece in the mystery. I really enjoyed the story’s historical details and the puzzle-solving. There are a few plot inconsistencies, but otherwise, I would recommend “Hidden Secrets” to those who love cozy, history-filled mysteries.

[S.A. Writes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This cozy mystery shines in its setting and creative ideas. The historical backdrop, hidden clues, and coded recipes make the story engaging and fun to piece together. I enjoyed trying to solve the mystery alongside Lucy, and the puzzle-like structure keeps you involved.
However, the pacing can feel rushed at times, especially early on, with characters introduced too quickly and some reveals happening a bit too easily. There are also moments where character interactions feel slightly unrealistic.
Overall, it’s an enjoyable, clue-driven mystery with a strong sense of place. If you like solving puzzles as you read, this is worth picking up.

[Jagdish Arora · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book because it mixes a peaceful canal setting with an intriguing mystery from the past. The story slowly reveals hidden family secrets, which makes the investigation feel personal and interesting. The historical clues and small-town atmosphere add charm while keeping the suspense alive. The characters are enjoyable, and the mystery unfolds in a steady, engaging way. Overall, it’s a cozy and entertaining mystery that keeps you curious about the truth behind the past.

[Shaiju Pullani · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. The story kept me interested with its mix of small town secrets, history, and a well-paced investigation.

What I liked most was the atmosphere of the English village and Lucy Harford character, which made the mystery feel believable and engaging.

I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy good mystery stories.