The Penny Plain Mysteries Collection Two: Local Secrets & The Christmas Gift

by Jan Jones

There is graffiti in Salthaven. Graffiti in general, and graffiti targeted specifically at the Seagull Brewery, owned by the family of Penny Plain’s son’s girlfriend. Local journalist Leo Williams is on the hunt for a WW1 soldier missing from the town’s war memorial and at the same time he is trying to have a family holiday with his son. Meanwhile, just what is shady local businessman Terry Durham up to? In the second mystery Leo and Penny try to solve the puzzle of a Christmas gift left in a ‘safe place’ as mentioned on the back of a WW2 wedding photo’, Leo’s son Daniel comes to stay for the festive season, there are a spate of petty thefts, snow is falling thickly, the vicar’s wife is perilously close to giving birth and the St Barnabas nativity service is full of disruptive elements. Will Penny and Leo ever get a moment to themselves?

244 pages, Paperback

Published June 17, 2020

About the author

A maths graduate, former computer programmer and erstwhile playgroup leader, Jan Jones writes contemporary romantic comedy, Regency romances, romantic suspense (often with a paranormal twist), cosy quirky mysteries, serials for women's magazines, short stories and poems. She won the RNA’s Joan Hessayon Award in 2005 with her debut novel Stage by Stage which came about through her experience of chaperoning her daughter during a touring production of Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat. When in Georgette Heyer territory, she uses her fascination with history to write a series of Newmarket Regencies (The Kydd Inheritance, Fair Deception, Fortunate Wager etc) set 200 years ago in her nearest town. As with all writers, elements of her life also inspire her many short stories for women’s magazines (one of which won the RNA Elizabeth Goudge award in 2002). This could be why she gets funny looks whenever she takes out her notebook during conversations in the bar. Jan organises the annual RNA conference and is firmly of the opinion that the Romantic Novelists' Association is the friendliest, most supportive organisation around.