What can two elderly women do, when they want to live their best lives, but don’t know where to start? Next-door neighbours, Molly and Janice, are in their seventies and are both widowed and lonely. In lockdown, they had their garden fence removed so they could have socially-distanced chats outside. Now the pandemic is over, but the conversation continues. In fact, it has become a daily ritual - weather permitting.As their friendship develops, talk turns from news headlines, the Sewing Bee and the Royal family to their own long-lost hopes and dreams. Is it ever too late to contact a former boyfriend? Or to heal family rifts? Or to try new things? Of course not! Because growing older doesn’t mean giving up.
A Cocktail to Die For by Helen Golden — Celticlady’s Review
Intro
Lady Beatrice and her business partner Perry Juke are at Chasingham House, an exclusive hotel and spa in the peaceful Cotswolds, for his bachelor weekend. Among Perry’s hens is DCI Emma McKeer Adler and they are all looking forward to a relaxing weekend. But when the dead body of a guest is discovered, the hotel manager asks Emma if she will step in and secure the crime scene until the local CID arrive…
Em stepped into the dimly lit bedroom, her eyes immediately scanning the surroundings for any signs of a disturbance. The room was tastefully decorated with a mix of vintage and modern furniture — a testament to Chasingham House’s unique charm, with soft rose walls adorned with watercolour paintings of idyllic English countryside scenes. Along the wall, dominating the room, was a luxurious four-poster bed draped in pale lavender linens. Not slept in, Em noted, as her eyes were drawn to the lifeless body of a curvy woman in a short gold evening dress lying on the floor by the side of the bed nearest to her. Mercy Bright. Em’s heart clenched at the sight.
Mercy had one hand on the floor just out of reach of a mobile phone lying in front of her, the other raised to her throat as if desperately trying to claw out some unseen assailant. Her eyes were wide with shock and fear. There was dried vomit around her mouth. Em took a deep breath, pushing away the wave of emotion threatening to overwhelm her. It never got any easier to see someone whose life had been cut short.
“Focus, Em,” she whispered to herself as she opened the PaIRS app she used to record all investigations, then began snapping pictures of the scene with her phone. After taking photos of the body from various angles, she started on the room. There was a small pile of jewellery on the bedside table — two diamond rings, a chunky gold necklace, and a bracelet. They were expensive-looking pieces. Clearly this hadn’t been a robbery gone wrong.
Em moved around the bed. There was a large designer handbag on the other side by the bedside table. It was open. She peered inside but saw nothing of interest. She took a picture anyway, then walked over to the table by the window. There was a tall empty glass on its top, its contents long gone. Em recognised the glass as one of the ones from the cocktail bar. Had Mercy brought a drink up with her? She took a photo of the glass. She’d have to ask the bartender if he recognised it. What was his name? Jeff? No, not Jeff. Maybe—
“DCI McKeer-Adler?”
Em spun around as a tall dark-skinned man sporting a well-trimmed goatee walked into the room, followed by a short slightly chubby woman carrying a bag. “I’m DS Victor Meed.” He held out his hand, smiling. “Please call me Vic.”
“Hi, Vic,” Em said, returning the sergeant’s smile and handshake.
“And this is Doctor Romaine.”
The woman gave a quick nod and headed straight for the body on the floor by the bed.
Em and the sergeant followed her.
“Sorry we’re so late getting here, ma’am,” the younger man said apologetically. “We have the whole of CID tied up with this raid, and—”
Em held up her hand. “There’s no need to apologise, sergeant. I know how much manpower is required to pull off something of that size,” she said, giving him a brief smile. “So, I haven’t touched anything,” she told him. “But—” She suppressed a smile when she recalled Perry’s earlier request. “I’ve taken a few photos just so we have a record if we need it before your forensic team gets here. I thought—”
The shrill ring of a phone pierced the somber atmosphere. DS Meed mouthed, “Sorry,” as he fished his mobile from his pocket and answered it, nodding seriously as he listened.
Simultaneously, Em’s own phone buzzed with an incoming text. Glancing down, she read the message from her boss.
Superintendent Blake (PaIRS): Local CID should be there soon. A DCI Alan Rivers will take over. Handover what you have and enjoy the rest of your weekend.
Em took a deep breath. A mixture of irritation and relief washed over her. Someone else would deal with this now. She could continue celebrating Perry’s last weekend as a free man. Would this DCI Alan Rivers get to the bottom of Mercy’s death? She glanced down at the body. Could she really walk away from this now?
Karen Louise Hollis was born in Lincoln in 1969 and is a full-time carer for her mother and a single mother to her son.
She has had books published and self-published since 2003, including short stories and poetry, and non-fiction books on motherhood, gymnastics and Doctor Who.
Her bookUn-Conventional: 13 Years of Meeting the Stars of Doctor Who was published by Hirst Publishing in 2010 and her biography of actor Anthony Ainley -The Man Behind The Master was published by Fantom Publishing as a hardback in 2015, later as a paperback and audio CD.
Her first novel Welcome to Whitlock Close was published in 2022 and her second novelStarting Again in Silver Sands Bay in 2023.
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