Books

A Murder for Miss Hortense

The first of a gripping new crime series, starring unforgettable sleuth Miss Hortense.

'It's Murder She Wrote as you've never seen it before'

– SIR LENNY HENRY

Death has come to her doorstep . . .

Retired nurse, avid gardener, renowned cake maker and fearless sleuth Miss Hortense has lived in Bigglesweigh, a quiet Birmingham suburb, since she emigrated from Jamaica in 1960. She takes great pride in her home, starching her lace curtains bright white, and she can tell if she's being short-changed on turmeric before she's taken her first bite of a beef patty. Thirty-five years of nursing have also left her afraid of nobody, be they a local drug dealer or a priest, and an expert in deciphering other people's secrets with just a glance.

Miss Hortense uses her skills to investigate the investments of the Pardner network - a special community of Black investors, determined to help their people succeed. But when an unidentified man is found dead in one of the Pardner's homes, a bible quote noted down beside his body, Miss Hortense's long buried past comes rushing back to greet her, bringing memories of the worst moment of her life, one which her community has never let her forget.

It is time for Miss Hortense to solve a mystery that will see her, and the community she loves, tested to their limits.

A Murder for Miss Hortense

In Bigglesweigh, old people are starting to die.

Retired nurse, avid gardener, and renowned cake maker Miss Hortense has lived in Bigglesweigh, a quiet suburb of Birmingham, England, since she emigrated from Jamaica in 1960. She takes great pride in her home, starching her lace curtains bright white, and she can tell if she’s being short-changed on turmeric before she’s taken her first bite of a beef patty. Thirty-five years of nursing have also left her afraid of nobody, whether a local drug dealer or an interfering priest, and she’s an expert in deciphering other people’s secrets with just a glance.

Miss Hortense used to use her skills to benefit the Pardner network—a local group of Black investors that she helped found. That is, until she was unceremoniously ousted from its ranks, severing her ties to the majority of her friends and community. That was thirty years ago. Now, as a new millennium dawns, an unidentified man has been found dead in one of the Pardner member’s homes, a bible quote noted down beside his body. Suddenly, Miss Hortense finds her long-buried past rushing back, bringing memories of the worst moment of her life—and secrets behind an unsolved crime that have haunted her for decades.

It is finally time for Miss Hortense to solve a mystery that will see her, and the community she loves, tested to their limits. The first novel from a bold, brilliant new voice, A Murder for Miss Hortense introduces a fearless sleuth who readers will never forget.