Strictly Murder

Pearl's detective agency takes a back seat as she prepares to offer a warm welcome to a group of special visitors. A local Arts Festival is being held to honour a cultural exchange visit from representatives of Borken - Whitstable's Twin Town in Germany.<BR><BR>Yet very soon, personality clashes surface among the participants; local politicians try to use the festival for their own ends while others jostle for improved billing on the festival programme. Tempers flare, old feuds re-surface and on the eve of the first event, a cryptic message - Murder Fest - is received by the local police. Before DCI Mike McGuire has a chance to investigate, the festival commences with an unscheduled event when a celebrated author is found brutally murdered . . .<BR><BR>Soon the only 'Arts' on display are dark ones, as Whitstable's celebration of local culture transforms into a real-life murder fest - offering Whitstable's Pearl Nolan another mystery to solve.<BR><BR>'A tried-and-tested crime recipe with Whitstable flavours that makes for a Michelin-starred read' Daily Mail <BR><BR>'My new favourite author in the genre' George Galloway

The brand new book in the Whitstable Pearl crime series - now a major TV drama, starring Kerry Godliman!<BR><BR> For almost two centuries, St Alfred's Church in Whitstable, Kent, has held special significance in the lives of its parishioners - including for private detective, Pearl Nolan, owner of the Whitstable Pearl restaurant.<BR><BR> Pearl's son, Charlie, was christened in the church and her oyster fisherman father, Tommy Nolan, is buried in the old churchyard. Now, St Alfred's is about to play another part in Pearl's life as the setting for her wedding to Canterbury police detective, DCI Mike McGuire.<BR><BR> But two fateful events are about to threaten this happy occasion - the discovery of a body on hallowed ground and the return of a ghost from Pearl's own past...<BR><BR>Praise for Julie Wassmer's Whitstable Pearl mysteries:<BR><BR> 'While Oxford had Morse, Whitstable, famous for its oysters, has Pearl . . . True to the tradition of classic crime, [Julie Wassmer] weaves a strong story into a setting that has more to offer than murder and mayhem' Daily Mail<BR><BR> 'As light as a Mary Berry Victoria sponge, this Middle-England romp is packed with vivid characters' Myles McWeeney, Irish Independent<BR><BR> 'All of the thrills without any of the gore' The Sun<BR><BR> 'My new favourite author in the genre' George Galloway<BR><BR> 'Comforting, cosy and entertaining with excellent Agatha Christie-style reveals. I love these books!' Jane Wenham-Jones, author of Mum in the Middle

It really is murder on the dance floor...<BR><BR> A new dance school opens in Whitstable run by celebrity tango champions - Tony and Tanya Ballard.<BR><BR> Pearl Nolan knows herself to be an ace cook and a sharp private eye but has always left the dancing to her mother, Dolly, a former member of the town's infamous Fish Slappers dance troupe. But Pearl becomes intrigued by the Ballards when they visit The Whitstable Pearl restaurant, and she realises that dance classes could provide the perfect cover for her clandestine relationship with DCI Mike McGuire...<BR><BR> McGuire is the only man Pearl has ever considered partnering - and not just for tango - but the pair soon find themselves with more than steps to master when death joins them on the dance floor and a brutal killer stalks the school.