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The Langdale Legacy: Brand new for 2026: The intriguing English cosy crime series set in the idyllic Lake District
'As Rebecca Tope tells it, every rural idyll is blighted by underlying menace. Such is her writing skill, I'm inclined to believe her'Daily Mail
From the author of the bestselling Cotswold Mystery series ...
Florist Simmy Brown is juggling life with a demanding newborn baby when visitors arrive in the Lake District with questions about a long-forgotten mystery. Thea Slocombe and her brother Damien are searching for the truth about their greatgrandfather, John Armstrong, who vanished without a trace in 1931. He left behind his family and a medal awarded for an act of bravery few now remember. As dormant rumours of murder begin to surface, Simmy's investigative instincts are reawakened. With a resentful relative determined to prevent further enquiries, it becomes clear that somewhere in the shadow of the dramatic Langdale Pikes secrets have been buried for generations - and the trio soon find that the past can be every bit as dangerous as the present.
Perfect for fans of M. C. Beaton, Julie Wassmer and Frances Evesham.
Readers love Rebecca
'A great read from a brilliant author.'
'Rebecca Tope certainly sets the mood perfectly.'
'Solid mystery, fleshed out and interesting characters Highly recommended.'
'Lots of twists and turns and then a surprising ending. Brilliant.'
Rebecca Tope is a prolific author of The Lake District Mysteries series Cotswolds Mysteries series and The West Country Murder Mysteries series, but each book can be read individually.
From the author of the bestselling Cotswold Mystery series ...
Florist Simmy Brown is juggling life with a demanding newborn baby when visitors arrive in the Lake District with questions about a long-forgotten mystery. Thea Slocombe and her brother Damien are searching for the truth about their greatgrandfather, John Armstrong, who vanished without a trace in 1931. He left behind his family and a medal awarded for an act of bravery few now remember. As dormant rumours of murder begin to surface, Simmy's investigative instincts are reawakened. With a resentful relative determined to prevent further enquiries, it becomes clear that somewhere in the shadow of the dramatic Langdale Pikes secrets have been buried for generations - and the trio soon find that the past can be every bit as dangerous as the present.
Perfect for fans of M. C. Beaton, Julie Wassmer and Frances Evesham.
Readers love Rebecca
'A great read from a brilliant author.'
'Rebecca Tope certainly sets the mood perfectly.'
'Solid mystery, fleshed out and interesting characters Highly recommended.'
'Lots of twists and turns and then a surprising ending. Brilliant.'
Rebecca Tope is a prolific author of The Lake District Mysteries series Cotswolds Mysteries series and The West Country Murder Mysteries series, but each book can be read individually.
280 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 17, 2026
About the author
Rebecca Tope
90 books223 followersRebecca Tope is best known as the author of over twenty crime novels. She has also recently produced the e-book entitled 'The Indifference of Tumbleweed'. She has every intention of continuing with the murder stories, as well as a variety of other kinds of fiction.
She has experienced many different kinds of work in her time - running antenatal classes, counselling troubled couples and being an office girl for an undertaker, for example. There were also several years monitoring the output of dairy cows, as well as every sort of task associated with book publishing. In 1992, she founded Praxis Books, a small British press.
She lives surrounded by trees she has planted herself, tending her own sheep.
She has experienced many different kinds of work in her time - running antenatal classes, counselling troubled couples and being an office girl for an undertaker, for example. There were also several years monitoring the output of dairy cows, as well as every sort of task associated with book publishing. In 1992, she founded Praxis Books, a small British press.
She lives surrounded by trees she has planted herself, tending her own sheep.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 4, 2026
Really enjoyed this one . Loved the crossover into the other series too .
September 25, 2026
Persimmon, known as Simmy, is out for a walk with new baby, George, and her dog when she meets two other dog walkers. Before long, she learns that the couple, Thea and her brother Damien, are up in the Lake District for a few days and that they have a mutual friend in Ben Harkness. Ben works for Simmy’s husband at his auction house. Simmy suggests that they all meet up for a meal, and she learns that the couple are in the area for a few days hoping to find out more about the unexplained disappearance of their great-grandfather, John Armstrong who went missing as a young man. Thea suspects he was murdered, but Damien is more interested in finding out about a medal that he was awarded for bravery.
Ben is only too happy to help. He agrees to use his IT skills to research the family’s past history, leaving Thea and Damien to visit long lost relatives to learn what they know about John Armstrong, and if they can shed light on what happened, which might explain his sudden disappearance.
Simmy would like nothing better than to help in the investigation but any contribution she might make can only be severely limited. All her time is taken up trying to cope with baby George who demands her constant attention. Ever since his birth seven months ago, George’s waking moments have been filled with fits of screaming. She is convinced he is in pain, but the nurses at the baby clinic assure her that all babies cry. Any spare time she does have, she feels compelled to spend with her three-year-old son, Robin, so that he doesn’t feel neglected.
Not everyone is pleased with the discoveries the investigation is revealing as Simmy discovers when an unexpected caller arrives at her door to warn her off.
This is the seventeenth book in Rebecca Tope’s series of novels set in the Lake District. Her fans will recognise all the familiar characters who are involved in the story including Ben, girl-friend Bonnie who also works in Simmy’s flower shop, and Simmy’s parents. This novel also includes Thea Slocombe, the protagonist in her equally popular Cotswold Mysteries.
As always, Tope’s skill at describing the landscape of this area of the Lake District and capturing its atmosphere is readily apparent.
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Reviewer: Judith Cranswick
For Lizzie Sirett (Mystery People Group)
Ben is only too happy to help. He agrees to use his IT skills to research the family’s past history, leaving Thea and Damien to visit long lost relatives to learn what they know about John Armstrong, and if they can shed light on what happened, which might explain his sudden disappearance.
Simmy would like nothing better than to help in the investigation but any contribution she might make can only be severely limited. All her time is taken up trying to cope with baby George who demands her constant attention. Ever since his birth seven months ago, George’s waking moments have been filled with fits of screaming. She is convinced he is in pain, but the nurses at the baby clinic assure her that all babies cry. Any spare time she does have, she feels compelled to spend with her three-year-old son, Robin, so that he doesn’t feel neglected.
Not everyone is pleased with the discoveries the investigation is revealing as Simmy discovers when an unexpected caller arrives at her door to warn her off.
This is the seventeenth book in Rebecca Tope’s series of novels set in the Lake District. Her fans will recognise all the familiar characters who are involved in the story including Ben, girl-friend Bonnie who also works in Simmy’s flower shop, and Simmy’s parents. This novel also includes Thea Slocombe, the protagonist in her equally popular Cotswold Mysteries.
As always, Tope’s skill at describing the landscape of this area of the Lake District and capturing its atmosphere is readily apparent.
--------
Reviewer: Judith Cranswick
For Lizzie Sirett (Mystery People Group)
October 5, 2026
Didn’t find this story as appealing as some of the others in this series. Thea ( from the Cotswolds series) and her brother are in the lakes on the DNA trail. There’s no murder to be solved, except the one of 100 years or so ago.
October 2, 2026
I love the The Lake District Mysteries and The Cotswold Mystery Series.
This book combined characters from both and the result is extremely disappointing.
This book combined characters from both and the result is extremely disappointing.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews