Welcome to Cornisea Island, where you can spend your summer holidays in a Cornish Castle.
Guinevere Evans has a dream summer job: cataloguing books at a castle on a tidal island off the coast of Cornwall. With her perky dachshund Dolly by her side she explores the islandâs colourful history, tries fabulous local food and sees the gorgeous sunsets.
But when an old friend of her employer drops in, claiming a rare bejewelled wedding goblet is hidden in the castle gardens, strange events start to take place: several people turn up claiming they have a right to the elusive goblet, and a dead body is found on the beach.
An unfortunate accident, or does this death relate to the struggle for ownership of the goblet? Is there even a goblet?
Guinevere and Dolly dig in and discover plenty of motives to lie, steal and yes, maybe even kill. Can they prove what really happened to the victim and what became of the precious rubies that are at the heart of the mystery?
Praise for VIVIAN CONROY
âThis book is a cross between Downton Abbey and Miss Marple ⦠Perfect for the long winter nights ahead where comfort becomes a key word in everyoneâs vocabulary.â
Katherine (Goodreads), A Proposal to Die For
âA Proposal to Die For is wonderfully smooth and glamorous, in the style of Agatha Christie combined with the beauty of Gatsby.â
The Storycollector Blog
âWhen itâs as charming as A Proposal to Die For mystery and history make the most wonderful combination.â
Little Bookness Lane
âDead to Begin With is a charming, entertaining and absorbing cozy mystery and a great start to a new series.â
Mystereity Reviews
âDead to Begin With by Vivian Conroy is a wonderful story, perfect for fans of Murder, She Wrote, and I cannot wait for the next in the series!!â
Books of All Kinds
âWhat a cosy story featuring a cozy murder, and some cute dogs!â
Rachelâs Random Reads, Dead to Begin With
Available from Vivian Conroy
ACountry Gift Shop Mystery series
Dead to Begin with
Grand Prize: Murder!
Written into the Grave
A Lady Alkmene Callender Mystery series
A Proposal to Die For
Diamonds of Death
Deadly Treasures
Coming Soon:
Fatal Masquerade
Cornish Castle Mystery series
Death Plays a Part
Rubies in the Roses
Rubies in the Roses
Vivian Conroy
Copyright
An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd.
1 London Bridge Street
London SE1 9GF
First published in Great Britain by HQ in 2017
Copyright © Vivian Conroy 2017
Vivian Conroy asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the authorâs imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.
E-book Edition © August 2017 ISBN: 9780008257521
Version: 2018-04-17
VIVIAN CONROY
discovered Agatha Christie at thirteen and quickly devoured all the Poirot and Miss Marple stories. Over time Lord Peter Wimsey and Brother Cadfael joined her favourite sleuths. Even more fun than reading was thinking up her own missing heirs and priceless artefacts. Discover the glamour and secrets of the roaring Twenties in Vivianâs Lady Alkmene Callender Mysteries and open up shop, with murder in the mix, in the contemporary Country Gift Shop Mysteries. Also contemporary, but set at a location full of history and folklore, are the Cornish Castle Mysteries, in which a London costume designer and her perky dachshund take a summer job at a castle on a tidal island off the coast of Cornwall. For news on the latest releases, with a dash of dogs and chocolate, follow Vivian on Twitter via @VivWrites
Acknowledgements
Thanks to all editors, agents, and authors who share insights into the writing and publishing process.
Thanks to my wonderful editor Hannah Smith and the entire HQ team, especially cover design for giving Dolly a starring role in the gorgeous cover.
A special thanks to all my readers whoâve expressed their love of this new series:
May you enjoy your return to Cornisea Island and all its quirky human and canine inhabitants!