The Mystery of the Seaside Treasure: A cozy crime mystery set in an English village

The Antique Shop Mysteries #7

by Judith Cutler

Lina Townend is off to the seaside — but her knack for sniffing out bargains lands her in the middle of a deadly mystery when she discovers a stolen sculpture.
Lina isn’t thrilled when her beloved mentor Griff suggests a weekend getaway to Torquay. Instead of sun, sand and ice creams, an uninspiring antique fair and a fancy-dress ballroom dance are on the agenda.
The fair is as boring as she expects — until a miniature Japanese sculpture catches her eye. It was last seen in the home of an elderly churchgoer Griff recently befriended, tucked among a bunch of seaside trinkets . . . right before it disappeared.
Is the sculpture connected to a recent series of violent thefts from churches? But why target a small, chipped antique when the infirm old lady’s house is filled with treasures?
Determined to solve the mystery, Lina dives into the investigation. But if she’s not careful, she won’t be swimming in Torquay’s deep blue sea — she’ll be sleeping with the fishes.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery

271 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 29, 2026

About the author

Judith Cutler was born and bred in the Midlands, and revels in using her birthplace, with its rich cultural life, as a background for her novels. After a long stint as an English lecturer at a run-down college of further education, Judith, a prize-winning short-story writer, has taught Creative Writing at Birmingham University, has run occasional writing course elsewhere (from a maximum security prison to an idyltic Greek island) and ministered to needy colleagues in her role as Secretary of the Crime Writers' Association.

Reviews

[Julie Powell]

This was another enjoyable instalment in the series, which sees Lina in danger again. She is a brilliant character, honest, kind and brave despite her rocky start in life; Griff, I am sure, had a hand in that when he took her in. Two wonderful characters.

There are robberies and dishonest dealings and Lina is determined to stop the culprits, but who to trust?

This story was sad in parts, especially regarding an old lady, nevertheless, I liked how Lina became involved, her kind heart once again open to helping.

Plenty of action, thoughts and feelings, a twisty plot and great sense of place.

Well-written and engaging.

Highly recommended.

[Rosemary]

It's the first time in seven books that Lina has expressed any feelings of endearment towards Aidan.

I have read all of these books one after the other and not taken time to review them. They are all interesting and informative books set in the world of antiques where a poor orphaned child is dragged through the care system before being handed over to a man old enough to be her grandfather. She goes from being almost illiterate to being an expert restorer whose talents are sought after by diplomats and police. She solves numerous crimes as she makes her way through life running a shop, attending antique fairs and repairing smashed crockery.

Definitely a series not to be missed.

[Rita M. Greier]

Heart and soul

These books just keep getting better and better! Please keep writing more and more! The characters get to feel more and more like family, and I need to know what happens next!

[Robert Polhill]

a great ending

Nice story with a lot of twists and turns. It finally looks like Lina will have her independence and i liked the way the author has steered to story that way. A lovely read

[Brenda J]

Easy reading but fun 😁

[Mrs C]

Another heartfelt novel in these incredible series of books by this author. Didn’t want to put it down.

[Mrs Linda Johnson]

Excellent read……again!

I just love this series and just hope that there is at least one, if not more, to come in the future

[Mrs Moya]

Can't put this down

I like the characters and background to the story. It is written so well that I want to find out what is happening next.

[Mark]

Nice.

Nice story , now narrated by the main character. That seemed a bit odd after the previous. But you definitely need to read the series. Enjoyable.

[MRS JOYCE KULLAS]

Ten Stars

Oh my goodness, I ended up in floods of tears. Absolutely marvellous story all the way through from the first book.

[jan]

such brilliance

I have loved all of these books, thank you Judith for bringing these characters to life they feel like old friends!

[Barbra]

Loved this series, as the writer is no longer writing I will just have to imagine that Lina found her happy ending.