The first book of my new serie, Murder in Great Diddling, starts with an explosive tea party. The tea party takes place at Tawny Hall, the main house in the village, home to the Trent Family that’s been running Great Diddling for generations. The current owner, Daphne Trent, is organising the tea party to ease the tensions caused by her nephew, Reginad Trent, who’s suddenly arrived from London to wreak havoc with village relations. 

And tensions are running high in this far-from-idyllic Cornish village. Economic hardship and decreasing numbers of tourists (but not from lack of trying, and despite their most creative efforts) were causing concern even before Reginald Trent arrived, threatening to evict business and in general just behaving like an annoying Londoner. Even his aunt Daphne Trent can’t stand him. She has her own reason for fearing him: he’s threatening her book collection. It was founded by her grandfather and will one day belong to Reginald Trent, but not, as both of them very well know, before her death. She has full possession of it during her lifetime, to do with as she chooses. But that doesn’t stop her nephew. He’s threatening with all sorts of disagreeable legal action unless she hands over the most valuable items to him. 

Berit is undeterred by all these strong emotions. Conflict might scare other people, but for a writer it is just the thing that drives the story forward. She might not admire Reginald Trent, but the intense emotions he’s causing is helping her to see the villagers of Great Diddling more clearly. She sees everything, and scribbles furiously in her notebook, but even she is unprepared when the tea party turns deadly …