False Gold

Abbot Agency #18

by Veronica Heley

When the hunt for buried treasure at Marston Hall leads to murder, it falls on Bea Abbot to dig up the truth in this entertaining mystery.

Bea Abbot is visiting her old friend Sir Julian at Marston Hall, but her trip starts badly when she arrives to a scene of chaos. It seems that a group of youths armed with metal detectors broke into the derelict amusement park in the grounds of the Hall and fled when disturbed . . . leaving the body of a middle-aged man behind. The police and Sir Julian’s estate manager assume this is a missing security guard, Pete, but Sir Julian has doubts. Is the dead man really Pete, and if not, then where is he and his border collie, Beauty?

With rumours of buried treasure and family curses circulating in the village, and with Sir Julian and Bruno the Alsatian at her side, Bea sets out to find the truth – and catch the killer.

Fans of Richard Osman, M.C. Beaton and Agatha Christie will love this page-turning mystery.

Genres: Mystery

259 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 21, 2026

About the author

Veronica Heley has published more than fifty books, including crime fiction, historical, and children's titles. She is currently involved in the Ellie Quicke series of crime stories and a variety of other projects. A full-time writer, she has been married to a London probation officer since 1964, and has one musician daughter.

AKA Veronica Thorne

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I have read this entire series. I have read her other series as well. This one is a bit better. This was a great mystery. It was fun revisiting all the characters. Considering the author is in her 90s she should be given great applause !

[Ivonne Rovira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bea Abbott leaves London to visit a friend (Sir Julian Marston-Lang, who first appeared in a previous book in the series that I did not read). A man is found dead on the day of her arrival to Marston Hall in England’s Home Counties, and the police have no interest in really investigating the case, pushing it off to the Metropolitan Police.

Clever Bea figures out soonish that the attack is not as described and that the victim is not who the police say it is and that security guard is missing, not dead, and not an accomplice to the attackers in a deal gone wrong.

Readers and Bea will figure it out at about the same speed, which is not a dealbreaker for me. I love meeting up again with clever, independent, resourceful (in every sense of the word) Bea, and False Gold, the 18th in this wonderful cozy series, is no exception. I devoured this book in a day! Newbies to Bea Abbott won’t feel lost. I haven’t gotten to the last three or four Bea Abbott books before this one, and I was able to follow just fine.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley and Severn House in exchange for an honest review.

[eyes.2c · Rating 3 out of 5]

Further troubles at Marston Hall!

We return to Marston Hall in the Home Counties with Bea Abbot who’s left London domestic agency behind for a short visit with Sir Julian, Lady Polly and their infant son Pip. As a bonus it seems Bea’s portrait painter Piers will join them.
Only it’s not going to be clear sailing. Bea arrives at Marston Hall to find the road closed. Entering by another route she finds an officious female police officer who trys to direct her away, a security guard dead, and the place up in arms.
What’s more her friend Rosemary who’s been helping Julian has gone, her motor home’s missing, and a new estate manager, Major Ian Charpentier seemingly in charge.
From there it’s a messy time of mayhem, corruption, upper class youths running amok, and a village glancing over their shoulder constantly.
Julian’s butting heads with his estate manager, who’s constantly doing something different to what Julian wants done and Polly’s at her wits end.
Piers arrives and Bea is glad of his support.
Somehow there’s an infective talk of lost treasure in the air that seems to point the way back to Julian’s troublesome father-in-law, Mr. Colston.
A cozy mystery with some of our favorite and not so favorite people.

A Severn House ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.

[Sandy Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

One of the author's best and they are all very good. Please more of sir julian, lady Polly, he's and Piers

[Lghiggins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bea Abbot runs a domestic agency in London, matching up employees with the right employer. Formerly widowed, she is currently married to Piers, a very successful portrait painter. I have read several books in the series and have always found that I could drop right in and find myself drawn into an engaging murder investigation.

Bea is invited to visit her friends Julian and Polly at Marston Hall for a weekend of relaxation. Although they are Sir Julian and Lady Polly, they have no “airs” and are new to their elevated positions. They are trying to make a go at keeping the Hall and associated village afloat. The family is living in temporary quarters while the stable is being remodeled into living quarters, and the grand hall itself is open to the public several days a week to bring in income. Julian, a former accountant, takes it upon himself to manage the village in such a way that there are jobs and housing for the locals. As newcomers, they are having to prove themselves, which they are doing quite well in spite of opposition from those in the town (as opposed to the village) and their own general estate manager.

When an intruder to the property is found in the mud with his face bludgeoned, Bea and the family turn their best efforts on the investigation. Julian is sure the victim is not one of his security men despite the very clean ID lanyard around his neck, but the authorities and his general manager insist that he is indeed Pete. But if the dead man is not Pete, then where is Pete and where is Pete’s faithful collie, Beauty? Meanwhile, in the middle of this chaos, Pete’s wife Tyra gives birth to their long-hoped-for baby.

The story proceeds with lots of twists and turns as the reader meets a lot of local villagers and learns about the semi-local political and monied residents of the area. Bea makes herself useful in practical ways using her contacts and organizational skills as well as her kindness in dealing with Polly who is expecting her second child and with Pip their adorable first child who wins the hearts of the villagers as he accompanies his father on his village visits. Also important to the story is Julian’s well-trained Alsatian who is important for security, tracking, and as the family retainer.

I truly enjoyed this mystery and look forward to more from Veronica Heley who has written 80 books including an earlier successful mystery series (Ellie Quicke Mysteries), historical novels, romances, and children’s books. She is currently 93 years old.


I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

[Avril Hemingway · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this is Book 18 in the series I dont believe I have read any of the others. I didn't find this a problem and got right into the mystery. There are a colourful cast of character's with management disputes going on lots of chasing around the countryside after youths who are causing trouble, heavily pregnant women to name but a few things and there's plenty of twists and turns. The mystery itself was a little predictable as the villain was easy to spot but enjoyable none the less. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Rieta · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like just a little guessing and subterfuge. Within seconds of meeting the Captain you know he's the bad guy. A couple of good character plots in Julian's father in law. I liked the line that he couldn't forgive Julian for being so incredibly competent. We all know those people and he was drawn quite well.

[Bridget Cobb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book because I thought it was titled “False God” and did not know it was apart of a series…

It was good! 3.5/5 for me. If I had read the previous books in the series I would have liked it more, but I was really confused. Also, there was a lot of tell not show which is not my favorite. The plot itself was well done.

[Clare O'Beara · Rating 4 out of 5]

False Gold was the first book I'd read in the series, I quickly got into the characters but it would be interesting to read the earlier book referring to the stately home we see on this occasion. Renovations and modernisations are under way as the house was recently inherited by a friend of the amateur sleuth. The couple now living here invite their pal, who runs a domestic staffing agency, to visit. Cue a distressing death on the grounds. Some trespassers with metal detectors are searching for gold, but it's not known whether there actually is any treasure.
I enjoyed the dogs, which are well trained and loyal working dogs. The various people seem either slimy or locals whose families lived here in the Domesday Book. Some are both.
This was a good fun read. I am sure we could see another mystery set in the manor house when renovations have progressed.
I read an e-ARC from Fresh Fiction. This is an unbiased review.

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another ripping yarn. The way this author writes makes me race through her books.

[Caroline Ingvaldsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The 18th in the Abbot Agency series is another entertaining cozy with strands of violence counteracting the mildness of the tale.

[John Sargent]

a good cozy

[Sue Hayward · Rating 3 out of 5]

a soft crime set in english countryside. enjoyed the story

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the 18th book in the Abbot Agency series. Having not read any of the previous books in the series, I can definitely say this book doesn't work particularly well as a standalone.

I thought the book was okay. Having not read the rest of the series, I was definitely missing a lot of backstory for characters and relationships. The characters were well written, and for the most part, I found them interesting. The world building was well done. I did, however, find the storyline to be fairly predictable.

I'd say this book is definitely worth a read if you enjoy the series, but if you haven't read any of the other books, start with book 1.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a review copy of this book.