The Hawkshead Hostage

'As Rebecca Tope tells it, every rural idyll is blighted by underlying menace. Such is her writing skill, I'm inclined to believe her'Daily Mail

Summer has come to the Lake District town of Windermere, where Persimmon 'Simmy' Brown runs her own florist shop. But there's no time for her to stop and smell the roses with the shop struggling for money, so a contract to provide floral displays for a hotel in Hawkshead couldn't have arrived at a better moment. However, Simmy's association with the hotel soon turns sinister when she finds a body in the lake.


To make matters worse, her friend, Ben Harkness - responsible for calling and alerting her of the discovered body - is now missing and thought to be kidnapped. Caught up in both a murder and kidnapping investigation, Simmy begins chasing clues left by the missing Ben.


With many suspicious characters bustling in and out of the hotel, while simultaneously trying to cope with her father's encroaching dementia, solving the puzzle seems a grueling challenge, but Simmy is compelled to uncover the truth...

Perfect for fans of M. C. Beaton, Julie Wassmer and Frances Evesham.

Readers love Rebecca Tope:

'A great read from a brilliant author.'

'Rebecca Tope certainly sets the mood perfectly.'

'Solid mystery, fleshed out and interesting characters Highly recommended.'

'Lots of twists and turns and then a surprising ending. Brilliant.'

Rebecca Tope is a prolific author of The Lake District Mysteries series Cotswolds Mysteries series and The West Country Murder Mysteries series, but each book can be read individually.