Penelope Finkle : Passion in London: mystery suspense thriller books

By Ally Baker

No one in the whole of the countryside could navigate a tricky puzzle better than Penny could," the narrator of the Penelope Finkle mystery, Passion in London,

tells us on her way to tea with Penny. Their tea is interrupted by a local detective and an inexperienced police sergeant seeking Penny's expertise on a crime they

cannot solve. By the end of the first chapter, the reader's mind churns with possible suspects involved with the mystery of a missing movie star. The narrator shares her limited information with the reader – enough to keep us wondering,

but not enough to give away the plot. The author teases the reader with subtle clues shared out of the narrator's earshot, or with glimpses of the clues that Penny folds neatly and places in her purse.

• Language: English
• Publisher: The Heirs Publishing Company
• Release date: Oct 22, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386686545

Book preview

Chapter One

The Story Begins

I can still remember the details like I know my own address. It was April of 1958 – we had just had a long winter and the days were finally starting to warm up. Families of jays and blackbirds frequented the parks and flowers and blossoms were blooming in full, painting a beautiful picture across London.

I was going to visit a dear friend of mine, Miss Penelope Finkle – or Penny, as I called her. She was a clever woman – always had a mind for working things out and overlooking the obvious to find the hidden secret in anything that she came across. I suppose that’s what made her such a good private investigator. Although none of the policemen would admit it, no one in the whole of the countryside could navigate a tricky puzzle better than Penny could. London had been quiet for winter – it was much too cold and miserable to do anything. As such, there was not much business for Penny. But Spring brought with it joy and happiness and, this year, the filming crew for a new movie, Passion in London. Even if business was slow for Penny, she wouldn’t resist the urge to have a look at the set.

I finally reached her house and, after shooing her neighbor’s cat, knocked three times on her big hardwood door. I heard footsteps approaching from behind the door, a pause, then three distinct noises – a chain drop, a bolt slide and a key turn – before the door creaked open.

Andrea, my dear friend, she said, taking my coat and hanging it on a hook. I wasn’t expecting you so soon!

This is the time we agreed upon, my friend, I reminded her. Tuesday morning for morning tea.

Is that today? she said. My, I lost track of time! My sister has had their fifth child, you know. A beautiful baby boy born two days ago. I’ve been caught up in my sewing.

I passed my congratulations on through her and she showed me her new sewing projects – a patchwork blanket and a small pile of little outfits for her new nephew.

Have you been outside today? I asked her. She shook her head. Spring has finally come! I continued. "And I’ve heard that they have started filming Passion in London now."

Penny’s eyes lit up at the mention of filming.

Oh, I would very much like to have a sticky-beak through the set, she said. We shall go after we have had tea!

I took my place on the armchair near the coffee table and waited while Penny went to make a pot of tea, scoping the room around me. The winter drapes were heavy and dark across the windows, still closed, though letting a thin slit of sunlight drift in through the crack between them. A small lamp stood near Penny’s sewing machine, providing just enough light for her sewing. The fireplace homed smoldering red embers that were evidently a beautiful display of dancing flames just the night before. On the mantelpiece was a row of picture frames and portraits of her late husband-to-be who was called to fight in World War II shortly after he proposed.