Daggers at the Country Fair: A cozy murder mystery from Catherine Coles

By Catherine Coles

The next instalment in the Martha Miller Mysteries from bestselling author Catherine Coles!

Winteringham Village 1947

As a thank you for her previous brilliant crime solving, amateur sleuth, Martha Miller is guest of honour at the Winteringham Country Fair. However, this time she is looking forward to simply judging dog shows and eating cream teas rather than apprehending a killer!

And Martha is just beginning to enjoy spending quality time with Vicar Luke Walker away from the prying eyes and gossips of her own village, when disaster strikes, and the local teenage femme fatale is found stabbed to death behind the tea tent by Martha’s trusted red setter Lizzie!

But who would want to kill such a young girl and why? Someone in the village has secrets to hide and it seems Martha and Luke have another case to solve!

Let the investigation commence!

Find out if Martha and Luke can catch the killer in a brand new Martha Miller mystery from bestselling author Catherine Coles.

What readers are saying about Martha Miller!

'An utterly charming 1940’s mystery. Definitely a new series addiction!' Bestselling author Debbie Young.

"Poison at the Village Show" is pure mystery buff entertainment and has all the qualities expected of an English mystery.' James Cox, Editor-in-Chief, Midwest Book Review

Perfect for fans of Lee Strauss and Beth Byers!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Boldwood Books
• Release date: Sep 26, 2022
• ISBN: 9781804150733

Catherine Coles

Catherine Coles writes bestselling cosy mysteries set in the English countryside. Her extremely popular Tommy & Evelyn Christie series is based in North Yorkshire in the 1920’s and Catherine herself lives in Hull with her family and two spoiled dogs.

Book preview

1

BERKSHIRE – SEPTEMBER 1947

The bus trundled along the village lanes towards its destination. I didn’t look at my friend, Luke Walker, when I spoke. Instead I stared off across newly harvested fields. ‘Tell me about your friend, Freddie.’

‘You will like him, Mrs Miller. He loves a joke. He had me in stitches constantly during our training.’

In private, Luke called me by my Christian name, Martha. However, in public places, he was careful to maintain propriety. After all, he was the vicar of our village, and we usually adhered to correctness. Especially after the bishop’s visit earlier that summer.

‘He sounds a jolly fellow.’ I glanced at Luke’s handsome profile. ‘I wonder, does the bishop visit him to give admonishments, like he does to you?’

Luke grinned. ‘No need. Freddie is happily married with a child, so is not seen as a menace to the single women of his village.’

We referred to an incident earlier this year when the bishop visited our village of Westleham to warn both Luke and me about our relationship. Someone in our village had reported that we seemed closer than was acceptable given his vocation and the fact I am still a married woman, although with no idea where my husband is.

‘Oh, how lovely. How old is his child?’

Luke shrugged carelessly. ‘I should know. What a terrible friend I am. I’m afraid all I can recall from his letters is the child is named Janet, has teeth, but is not yet walking.’

‘So somewhere between three and eighteen months?’ I pasted a smile on my face. ‘How delightful.’

Even though I was staring out of the window, I could feel Luke’s eyes on me. I found it difficult to talk about children and, as a result, sounded as though I wasn’t fond of them. My husband, Stan, and I hadn’t been blessed with children before the war. Afterwards, he had barely been home long enough to even look at me the right way before he had gone to work one morning and never returned.

‘Are we nearly there, vicar?’ Maud Burnett called from her seat behind us.

Luke’s eyes crinkled as he turned to smile at Maud, who lived in the cottage next door to mine. ‘That is the third time you have asked me that since we left Westleham, Mrs Burnett, and I’m not even driving the bus!’

‘You can read the road signs better than me,’ she replied. ‘My old eyes aren’t what they used to be.’

‘Well, that is blatantly untrue,’ Ruby retorted in a low voice. ‘That woman doesn’t miss a thing.’

‘Shh, don’t be impolite.’ I looked across the aisle at my sister, who sat with my dog, Lizzie, on the seat next to her. I always felt obliged to correct her behaviour, though I wasn’t really sure why as it did no good.

Ruby was the complete opposite of me in both looks and temperament. She was blonde, wore make-up, worked at a factory, and tended to say exactly what she thought at the very moment she thought it.

I, on the other hand, referred to myself optimistically as strawberry blonde, didn’t have time for make-up, worked only in my cottage garden, and spent most days talking to my dog, who was my best friend. I mentally corrected myself. That wasn’t completely true any more. Over the last few months, I had worked hard on my personal relationships and, as a result, did now have some human friends, too.

I thought back to the awful event at our village show two months earlier that had surprisingly led to me spending more time with the people in Westleham. The chairwoman of the village show committee, Alice Warren, collapsed as she was about to begin the judging. It transpired she had been poisoned and because the last thing she imbibed was my home-made plum gin I was keen to clear my name and the reputation of my gin.

The vicar and I had formed an unlikely sleuthing team and, during our investigations, I slowly made friends with my neighbours. For too long, I had held myself apart from the village because a few people had spread rumours that my missing husband could likely be found underneath my potato patch. For all I knew, there were villagers that still believed that ridiculous scenario, but I was learning to focus on the people who thought that was nonsense and were happy to be my friend.

‘Two miles to go.’ Luke pointed out of the window at a road sign. ‘We shall soon be there, Mrs Burnett.’

‘It still seems strange to be able to read the signs,’ I said. Although we did not live near the coast, our local council had covered all local road signs just in case the Germans invaded and, for a reason known only to themselves, attacked rural Berkshire.

‘Bert has driven this bus since before you were born,’ Maud said. ‘He doesn’t need a signpost to tell him the way to Winteringham.’

‘Are you nervous, Martha?’ Ruby asked.

‘Not nervous,’ I replied. ‘But a little perplexed. I still don’t understand why I’ve been asked to open the country fair.’

Usually, the local gentry were asked to open village events. I was just a housewife from a small village. Who was I to open an event half of the county would travel to attend?

‘You’re practically famous!’ Ruby said enthusiastically. ‘Isn’t that right, vicar?’

Luke looked at me in a way I found disconcerting. It was a strange sort of mix between the way a parent looks fondly at a child, and a sad resignation. I wasn’t nearly brave enough to ask him why he looked at me that way – that would be a conversation that would not only stray towards inappropriate, but the answer was likely to be one I didn’t want to hear.

‘Yes,’ he said quietly. ‘That’s quite right, Ruby. Your sister was an absolute hero, catching the villain who killed poor Mrs Warren.’

‘Well—’

‘Stop!’ Ruby held up a hand. ‘Remember what we talked about, Martha? When you are paid a compliment, you should accept the kind words, and not dismiss them. You are a bright, clever, and beautiful woman, and it’s entirely understandable that people may wish to point out any one of those things.’

I looked away, embarrassment staining my cheeks. ‘Oh, Ruby, you are more than a little biased.’

My sister tried to teach me all sorts of things that she seemed to find perfectly natural – putting on make-up, dressing fashionably on a budget, and particularly having a healthy dose of self-worth.

‘Tosh!’ Maud turned around from the seat behind me. ‘If you hadn’t laid that trap, I shudder to think what that fiend would have done next.’

It was my idea to lay the set-up that allowed the police to apprehend the murderer, but I had had help from several of my new friends in learning who that person was. In my mind, we all deserved equal credit.

Still, it didn’t matter what I thought. It was me, not anyone else, who would open the country fair in the morning. I could only hope the event went a little more smoothly than our own village show.

A few minutes later, the bus arrived in the middle of Winteringham. The village green, which was opposite the pub, the Railway Inn, was full of people preparing for the eagerly anticipated event that would start at eleven the next morning.

One person broke away from the crowd and strode purposefully over. As soon as we exited the bus, the tall woman began calling out. ‘Mrs Miller? I’m looking for Mrs Miller. Mrs Martha Miller.’

As if there was going to be more than one Mrs Miller on the small bus that had wound its way through the Berkshire countryside along narrow country lanes connecting the villages. Ruby took Lizzie’s lead out of my hands and nudged me forward. ‘Your public awaits you.’

‘That’s me,’ I mumbled, hoping she hadn’t heard Ruby’s words.

‘I’m Annie Raynor.’ She grabbed my hand and shook it vigorously.

‘Pleased to meet you, Mrs Raynor.’

‘Miss,’ she replied. ‘On account of the fact I am taller than most men.’

She didn’t state the obvious. After the war, there weren’t enough men to go around the single women – tall, short, or in between. Annie looked to be around my age, and I decided immediately that I liked her.

‘This is my sister, Ruby.’ I turned around and gestured towards my sister, who raised a hand in greeting. ‘Our vicar, Mr Luke Walker…’

‘You simply must go straight to the vicarage, Mr Walker.’ Annie pointed across the village green. ‘I believe you are acquainted with our vicar. Well, he’s waiting for you. He was most insistent that you were directed over to his home as soon as you arrived. Now the vicarage is to the left of the village green. Rather an odd set-up, I know, as the building isn’t next to the church. Jolly useful for making tea and sandwiches for the intervals in the cricket though. Not that most villages around here can field a cricket team. Can you believe they won’t let me play?’

‘Really—’

I managed the one word before Annie ploughed straight on. I didn’t even see her take a breath. ‘Ridiculous, isn’t it? Us women could do whatever was needed of us during the war, but now it’s finished, we’re expected to go right back to doing whatever it was we did beforehand. Don’t they realise that things have changed? Times have changed! Isn’t that right, Mrs Miller?’

‘Yes—’

‘Why you single-handedly caught a vile and despicable murderer. As soon as I read in the newspaper how you caught that beast, I knew you were the person I wanted to open the fair. A woman, like myself, who is not content with going back and living in a man’s shadow. Oh my goodness, do forgive me. I should think before I speak. The newspaper article didn’t mention your husband, but I assume you lost Mr Miller?’

‘In a manner of speaking.’

Annie looked at me sharply. ‘What does that mean?’

‘Stan, my husband, did return from the war. However, he went off to work normally a year ago and has never returned.’

‘I can’t believe a woman such as yourself hasn’t solved the mystery of your own husband’s whereabouts. Surely apprehending murderers is more problematic than finding one recalcitrant man?’

‘Unfortunately, when that man doesn’t want to be found, it’s rather trickier than you may think.’

‘Stupid fool.’ Annie shook her head. ‘Now, let me show you how things are set up.’

‘I should—’ I looked behind me at the luggage sitting on the pavement.

‘Nonsense.’ Annie took hold of my arm and propelled me forward. ‘Vicar, take care of Mrs Miller’s bags. And do hurry over to the vicarage – your friend is expecting you immediately upon your arrival.’

I exchanged a smile with Luke as he picked up my bag, as well as his own, and looked across the street towards the house Miss Raynor had indicated. Ruby gave me a cheery wave. ‘I shall leave you in Miss Raynor’s capable hands. See you at the vicarage later, Martha!’

‘Is that young woman really your sister?’ Annie raised an eyebrow. ‘She doesn’t look a bit like you.’

Examining Annie’s face, I didn’t see any censure or disapproval. Some people did not like Ruby’s rather forward manner or her modern way of dressing, applying make-up, and dying her hair. But it seemed Annie was not a judgemental person. That made sense, given she had achieved the unthinkable and engaged me to open the country fair. I still couldn’t believe she had managed such a feat. No doubt the Earl of Chesden, the local landed gentry whose family had opened the fair for years, couldn’t believe it either.

‘Yes, Ruby lives with me in my cottage in Westleham.’

‘Indeed.’ Annie gazed at me, before applying slight pressure on my arm and moving forward towards the kerb. After a quick glance each way, she hurried me over the road. ‘I must show you how we have things set up. Then tomorrow you will know precisely where you can find everything you might need.’

‘Everything I might need?’ I echoed, framing the words into a question. As far as I was aware, my role was to open the fair, and after that, my time was my own.

‘You are our guest of honour, Mrs Miller. After you have opened the fair, anything you want is yours. If you would like a cup of tea, it’s yours. A piece of cake, also yours.’

‘I don’t understand.’

‘Unlike other fair attendees, you do not have to pay for anything.’ She waved a hand towards a table. ‘This is where those wishing to enter the fair will pay their admission fee. Edith Davies will attend the post. You will meet her later, I’m sure. She is the vicar’s housekeeper.’

With an energy I could only admire, but have no chance of replicating, Annie dragged me around the village green towards the roped-off section of grass where the local farmer would offer pony rides, the areas that would house side shows, and numerous tables where home-made goods would be displayed.

She pointed at a wooden pole, which stood proudly in the middle of the lush grass. ‘Of course, it’s not May, but we’re having maypole dancers.’ Annie bit her lip, looking uncertain for the first time. ‘Do you think that will be all right?’

‘I don’t see why not. It’s a very popular attraction. I’m sure in some countries they have maypole dances in the late summer.’

‘I do hope the fair is successful.’ Annie looked at me with trepidation in her face. ‘I am the most organised person in the entire county, even if I say so myself, but the men of the village will be only too happy to see me fail.’

Her words struck a chord with me. ‘There are men in my own village who are not happy that I am the chair of the Westleham show. However, I am extremely lucky that most of the villagers are very supportive of my role, irrespective of my sex.’

‘You are a very lucky woman, Mrs Miller.’ Annie gave me a small smile. ‘I fear most of Winteringham is simply waiting for me to make a complete hash of the fair. I’m rather outspoken, you see, and that doesn’t make me awfully popular.’

‘Let me be honest,’ I said. ‘Prior to the village show, many of the inhabitants of Westleham believed my husband was buried beneath my potato patch!’

Annie gasped and put a hand over her mouth to cover a giggle. ‘They did not.’

‘I’m afraid so.’ I patted her arm. ‘One of the village gossips suggested it, and before long, many people in Westleham had decided it was an actual possibility. So, you see, I understand completely about being unpopular.’

‘Goodness, how dreadful for you.’

‘It was a difficult time,’ I admitted. ‘But solving the murder certainly helped me fit in.’

‘You haven’t always lived in Westleham?’

‘No. We moved there just before the war. That is, my husband, Stan, and me. Even though I’ve lived there nearly ten years now, I am still a definite outsider.’

‘I’ve lived in Winteringham my entire life,’ Annie said. ‘Sometimes I’m glad of it, because knowing one’s neighbours is a comfort. Occasionally I wish I had travelled or done something exciting on at least one occasion.’

‘I feel the exact same way, though now my sister lives with me I live vicariously through her. Ruby does all the things I wish I’d had the opportunity to. Though, of course, after I married Stan, it was very much expected that I stay at home and raise babies.’

Annie lifted an eyebrow. ‘You don’t have children, do you, Mrs Miller?’

I swallowed past the inevitable lump of hurt that always rose in my throat when I thought of my childlessness. ‘No. It never happened for Stan and me. Now it never shall.’

‘I say, your vicar is quite a dish.’ Annie grinned mischievously as she steered the conversation away from the subject she seemed to know caused me pain.

‘I suppose he is,’ I said carefully. Although I liked Annie very much, it wouldn’t do for her to know that my feelings for Luke were stronger than mere friendship. We might be rushing towards the fifties and a new decade, and film stars may have started divorcing their spouses with alarming frequency, but here in the Berkshire countryside, things were very much the same as they had been for years. When you married, it was expected the union was for life.

‘Wait until you see ours.’ Annie flashed me another smile. ‘I’m sure it’s not very Christian of me to say so, but your vicar is like Edward the eighth whereas ours is more akin to Henry the eighth!’

‘But hopefully with fewer wives?’

Annie’s attention was taken by a woman who waved at her from behind a low wall around the house she had earlier identified to be the vicarage. ‘Oh goodness, I hope she didn’t hear me.’

‘Bring Mrs Miller over to the vicarage,’ the woman called. ‘We’re having tea.’

‘We’ll be right over, Doris.’ Annie looked at me and gave a wry smile. ‘I don’t think she heard me. Doris is a very good sort. Actually, so is the vicar, though it’s true to say he’s as wide as he is tall. His sermons are very insightful.’

Annie led me across the green to the garden gate of the vicarage. It looked as though someone had recently painted it in a smart, dark green. The front step was freshly swept, with not a speck of dirt to be seen.

‘Mrs Butler is a fastidious housekeeper,’ I commented.

‘Oh yes, she likes everything to be just so,’ Annie agreed. ‘She’s always been like that, but more so since the baby arrived. I don’t know why she has a housekeeper when she prefers to do most of the work herself.’

I forced my lips to spread into a smile. ‘How old is the child?’

‘Janet is… well, she was born around Easter time if I recall correctly. That would make her about five months, I think.’ Annie shrugged, then opened the door. ‘I’m sure Doris will tell you. She’s exceptionally proud of the little one. Now, let’s go inside. There’s sure to be cake, and Doris’s baking is

Reviews for Daggers at the Country Fair

[loried_5 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

By chance, I had just read and enjoyed the first book in this series, so I was delighted to be able to have the opportunity to read an advance copy of the 2nd installment. I thoroughly enjoyed this one as well. I love the cast of characters, and I like that they have unique backstories which differentiate them from other cozy mysteries. The author did a great job creating a scenario where there are many suspects, and the "detectives" were very clever solving the mystery. I look forward to the continuation of the series. In the meantime, I've started and am enjoying the author's Tommy & Evelyn Christie series. I highly recommend Daggers at the Country Fair to fans of cozy mysteries.

[sucharita1986 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Martha Miller is back..................A beautiful cozy mystery thriller surrounding a small village. A perfect book for beginners as the story cuts the unnecessary drama and comes to the point straight away. The plot is developed around some curious characters. All the characters have their own footing and story. Tertiary characters acted as the iron pillars of the plot. In short, the plot focusses on how people can change with time and can be so mean and jealous that they would not even think twice before ruining someone's life. But do not expect any kind of action in the plot.I would definitely give the book 5 stars. Thanks to Boldwood Books, Rachel's Random Resources and Netgalley for providing me an opportunity to read and review the book.

[vesper1931 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

September 1947 Mrs Martha Miller is invited to open the country fair in the neighbouring village of Winteringham. Unfortunately it is not long before she discovers a body. The investigation leads to several suspects. Can she and the vicar Luke Walker solve the crime before Detective Ben Robertson.An entertaining and well-written historical cozy mystery with its cast of varied and likeable characters. A good addition to this series which can easily be read as a standalone story.

[jetangen4571 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

1947, England, small-town, clergy, family, friendship, murder-investigation, murder, amateur-sleuth, law-enforcement, cosy-mystery, gossip, suspense, suspicion, dog*****The first in series was a relaxing cosy but this one has more urgency to it. The characters have a little more depth and the investigation runs into dead ends, red herrings, and some fancy twists. Mrs Miller and the vicar generally work well together while the detective gets his undies in a bundle. The publisher's blurb is a good hook and doesn't want repeating. I liked this one even better than book one and I do think that it can stand alone.I requested and received a free e-book copy from Boldwood Books via NetGalley. Thank you!