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Applewick Village #1
Death at Applewick Schoolhouse
Welcome to the English villages - Applewick, Appledown, Applemere and Appleside - collectively known as ‘The Apples’ and home to the young Fairfax sisters - Esme, Bella and Isla. Theirs is a peaceful existence, enjoying the gentle rhythm of rural life... until Applewick receives a rude awakening. The body of local headteacher, Max Bartholomew, has been found bludgeoned to death in his study.
Sleepy Applewick is suddenly a hive of activity and Frank Fairfax, local funeral director and father of the three sisters, becomes the prime suspect. He was the very last person to see Max Bartholomew alive and, for some reason, the police are seemingly uninterested in looking for another potential perpetrator.
Determined to prove their father’s innocence, the sisters team up and sleuth their way through the clues in bid to find the identity of the real murderer. But with Esme's detective husband in charge of the case for the local CID, will the intrepid sisters be able to solve the murder before their amateur interference starts raising red flags? Or will their involvement lead to even more deadly consequences?
Sleepy Applewick is suddenly a hive of activity and Frank Fairfax, local funeral director and father of the three sisters, becomes the prime suspect. He was the very last person to see Max Bartholomew alive and, for some reason, the police are seemingly uninterested in looking for another potential perpetrator.
Determined to prove their father’s innocence, the sisters team up and sleuth their way through the clues in bid to find the identity of the real murderer. But with Esme's detective husband in charge of the case for the local CID, will the intrepid sisters be able to solve the murder before their amateur interference starts raising red flags? Or will their involvement lead to even more deadly consequences?
264 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 15, 2022
20 people are currently reading
58 people want to read
About the author
Sue Fortin
15 books595 followersWriting historical fiction as Suzanne Fortin and mystery/suspense as Sue Fortin.
Suzanne writes historical fiction, predominantly dual timeline and set in France. Her books feature courageous women in extraordinary circumstances with love and family at the heart of all the stories.
Suzanne was a bookworm as a child and this naturally progressed to wanting to write her own stories. It wasn’t until she was on maternity leave with her fourth child, that she thought it was now or never and finally managed to write a complete novel. Having joined the Romantic Novelists’ Association under their New Writers’ Scheme, writing then as Sue Fortin, she sent her manuscript off for a critique.
After another year of working on the novel, Suzanne self-published United States of Love – a contemporary romance. This was then picked up by a traditional publisher, HarperCollins and under their imprint HarperImpulse (now One More Chapter) this book was republished. Writing as Sue Fortin, another seven books in the romantic suspense genre were published with HarperCollins.
More recently, Sue has moved to writing historical fiction and publishes under the name of Suzanne Fortin, with her debut in this genre, The Forgotten Life of Arthur Pettinger released in early 2021 with Head of Zeus imprint, Aria Fiction.
A self-confessed Francophile, Suzanne has a home in the Morbihan region of France and visits as often as she can with her husband and family. The region has been a huge inspiration for Suzanne’s books and is often the backdrop to her writing.
Suzanne writes historical fiction, predominantly dual timeline and set in France. Her books feature courageous women in extraordinary circumstances with love and family at the heart of all the stories.
Suzanne was a bookworm as a child and this naturally progressed to wanting to write her own stories. It wasn’t until she was on maternity leave with her fourth child, that she thought it was now or never and finally managed to write a complete novel. Having joined the Romantic Novelists’ Association under their New Writers’ Scheme, writing then as Sue Fortin, she sent her manuscript off for a critique.
After another year of working on the novel, Suzanne self-published United States of Love – a contemporary romance. This was then picked up by a traditional publisher, HarperCollins and under their imprint HarperImpulse (now One More Chapter) this book was republished. Writing as Sue Fortin, another seven books in the romantic suspense genre were published with HarperCollins.
More recently, Sue has moved to writing historical fiction and publishes under the name of Suzanne Fortin, with her debut in this genre, The Forgotten Life of Arthur Pettinger released in early 2021 with Head of Zeus imprint, Aria Fiction.
A self-confessed Francophile, Suzanne has a home in the Morbihan region of France and visits as often as she can with her husband and family. The region has been a huge inspiration for Suzanne’s books and is often the backdrop to her writing.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 7, 2023
A thoroughly engaging mystery, with really good characters.
September 15, 2022
I devoured the first in this new cosy crime/murder mystery series. I've long been a fan of Sue/Suzanne Fortin's writing - both emotional thrillers and her dual timeline novels - so this was a must buy. The setting is as much a part of the book as the mystery, it was like stepping into an episode of Midsomer Murders with the country cottages, quirky characters and village life. I adored the Fairfax sisters coming together to help solve the murder and their sisterhood was adorable. I had no idea who the guilty party was and there were plenty of twists and turns and red herrings delivered flawlessly. I would highly recommend this read for fans of Richard Osman's The Thursday Night Murder Club. Loved it!
September 15, 2022
Death at Applewick Schoolhouse🍎
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5 stars!)
After the suspicious death of Max Bartholomew, the Fairfax Sisters find themselves at the heart of this cosy village mystery. With their father named as the prime suspect, Esme, Bella and Isla team up to clear their fathers name.
I absolutely loved this cosy mystery, it is the perfect autumnal read! I could not put this book down and enjoyed the characters and the great world building that Sue Fortin has created in The Apples community. If you love Agatha Christie, Midsummer Murders and Jonathan Creek, this is the book for you!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5 stars!)
After the suspicious death of Max Bartholomew, the Fairfax Sisters find themselves at the heart of this cosy village mystery. With their father named as the prime suspect, Esme, Bella and Isla team up to clear their fathers name.
I absolutely loved this cosy mystery, it is the perfect autumnal read! I could not put this book down and enjoyed the characters and the great world building that Sue Fortin has created in The Apples community. If you love Agatha Christie, Midsummer Murders and Jonathan Creek, this is the book for you!
September 3, 2025
I liked the storyline of three sisters working together to save their dad from going to jail. This book is a YA.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews