The village is determined to use the media attention brought by the murder to get more tourists to visit the area. Surely everyone likes a British murder mystery? And what can be better than a real life one? Several villagers sell their confessions to the tabloids to make some cash, and later on they decide to start a literary festival, combining a cozy British village with murder, scones, ale – and books. 

But no authors. When they fail to attract even a single writer due to the very short notice, they ask themselves: how many people really know what their favourite writers look like? Soon, Ian Rankin, Elly Griffiths and Margaret Atwood are coming to town, and there’s just enough time to coach three reluctant volunteers on how to become them. Their Books and Murder-festival might be off to a rocky start, but before the weekend is over, more than twenty bookshops will have been created in the village. There’s even a ball in the library of Tawny Hall. The villagers of Great Diddling lie, cheat and steal, and no one is more surprised than themselves when they appear to have pulled off the best literary festival any of the visitors have ever experienced. 

But actions have consequences. You can’t lie to the police and expect to get away with it. A modern-day murder investigation leaves no room for friendship, creative thinking or creating their own kind of justice. Berit might finally have found the idea for her next book among the crazy people of Great Diddling, but one of them is sure to be a murderer. And the police don’t care about her book either. 

Berit Gardner and DCI Ahmed must work together before the murderer strikes again. And somehow, and as the stakes grow, Berit must find a way to prevent any more murders while at the same time saving her new-found friends from the consequences of their actions. She’ll need all her creativity to work herself and them out of this plot hole.