A Rona Parish Mystery Series by Anthea Fraser
A Rona Parish Mystery #1
Brought to Book
Anthea Fraser
Mystery and intrigue with a decidedly literary bent, from the bestselling crime writer When successful biographer Rona Parish is asked to write the life-story of a bestselling author, recently deceased, she is intrigued - to say the least. After all, Theo Harvey led a very colourful life, and died in mysterious circumstances. But Rona's husband Max is wary and, it soon becomes apparent, with good reason...As Rona begins to delve into Theo Harvey's life and death, and to interview his friends and family - some more willing than others - she realises that she has taken on a poisoned chalice.From BooklistRona Parish is flattered when she's asked to write a biography of noted author Theo Harvey, a larger-than-life figure who churned out a series of lowbrow best-sellers, then suffered a severe case of writer's block that lasted for several years. When he began writing again, his books were melancholy psychological studies that garnered him critical acclaim but disappointed his former fans. Soon after his reemergence, he died a mysterious death at his remote mountain hideaway. His widow hopes that having Rona research and write Theo's biography will shed new light on his metamorphosis as a writer and possibly on his death. But Rona has barely begun work when she receives a series of anonymous threats warning her to leave the bio unwritten. This classic British cozy features an unusual plot, surprisingly multilayered characters, and a fair bit of suspense. All in all, a pleasant and entertaining read. Emily MeltonCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reservedAbout the AuthorFraser announced at the age of five that she wanted to be an author.
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A Rona Parish Mystery #2
Jigsaw
Anthea Fraser
The return of Rona ParishRona Parish is ready to embark on a new assignment. She is to write a series of articles for the 600th anniversary of the local market town of Buckford, looking at its churches, schools and celebrated inhabitants. But her first encounter with the elderly Edna Rosebury raises unresolved questions about a recent tragic murder and Rona's investigative antennae are instantly on the alert . . .From BooklistFreelance journalist Rona Parish is writing a series of articles on the quaint English village of Buckford, which will soon celebrate its 800th anniversary. She figures that, rather than reviewing Buckford's history, she'll try the quirkier approach of looking at unusual characters who have lived in the village. To get a flavor of the village, Rona takes a room with local resident Nuala Banks and is soon caught up in interviews and the ins and outs of local life. Nuala is quick to introduce Rona to her aunt--and local eccentric--Miss Edna Rosebury, who is a bit gaga but is sharp enough to confide that she knows more than she's telling about the death of a four-year-old girl years earlier. When a stranger attacks Rona, and Edna is found dead, Rona begins to look for the dark secrets lurking behind Buckford's pleasant facade. Clever plotting, appealing characters, and a dash of suspense make Fraser's latest a fine choice for fans of the traditional British village mystry. Emily MeltonCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reservedAbout the AuthorFraser announced at the age of five that she wanted to be an author.
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A Rona Parish Mystery #6
Next Door to Murder
Anthea Fraser
A Rona Parish Mystery - Journalist Rona Parish continues her popular series on local family businesses with a piece on the Willow furniture emporium. For once, there dont seem to be any skeletons in the Willow family cupboards. But when Louisa, the daughter of Ronas reserved elderly neighbours, comes to Rona with a plea for help, it seems there may be a dark secret closer to home, and all Ronas journalistic instincts are aroused . . .From Publishers WeeklyIn Fraser's leisurely sixth Rona Parrish cozy (after 2007's Rogue in Porcelain), the freelance journalist and her artist husband, Max Allerdyce, are used to knowing little about the tenants who come and go at the four-story Georgian house next door to their own in Marsborough. But when a reserved couple, Barbara and Keith Franks, and their adult daughter, Louise, become their new neighbors, Rona is intrigued to learn from Louise that she has no memory of her prior life in Canada due to an accident. Rona soon discovers that helping Louise reclaim her past is more exciting—and perilous—than her current assignment, writing about a family-owned furniture store for Chiltern Life magazine. Fraser's cozy goes down with a mild kick, like tea laced with a dash of brandy. (June) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From BooklistFreelance journalist and biographer Rona Parish just can’t stay out of dangerous situations. Her last outing resulted in her witnessing a traumatic murder while she researched the owners of a ceramics firm. She’s barely recovered from the ordeal when her editor suggests a “nice, safe” assignment—profiling a local furniture merchant. But it’s not her research on the furniture firm that causes trouble. It’s Rona’s new next-door neighbors, an elderly couple with a thirtysomething daughter who suffers from a crippling case of amnesia. When Rona befriends the young woman and tries to help her, she has no idea that she will uncover a terrible secret. Set in a British village where everyone knows everyone else, the Rona Parish series perfectly captures everyday life in the small towns of the UK and portrays the sorts of problems and issues that are faced by modern families and career women everywhere. Yet it’s not just chick lit; there’s enough suspense and mayhem to appeal to all but the hardest-boiled mystery fans. --Emily Melton
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