Series: Amy Rowlings #1
Published by SpellBound Books on July 7, 2022
Pages: 185
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Also by this author: Tracy's Hot Mail
Introducing Twenty-one-year-old Amy Rowlings, a vivacious, quick-witted collector of imported American music, a movie buff and an avid reader of crime fiction.
January 1939 and the residents of the snow-covered streets of a small Kentish town awake to horrific news.
When young Amy Rowlings meets Detective Sergeant Bodkin at the scene of a robbery on the way to work at The Mill, one snowy, January morning, she is blissfully unaware of how much her life is about to change.She is drawn into the murky world of murder when the body of Edward Handsley is found lying on the floor of the clothing factory. Edward, a libertine, philanderer, the son of George, the factory owner, a young man with many enemies, many of them female.
Bodkin is new to the area and accepts Amy’s offer to provide local knowledge but she soon becomes an invaluable source of information. When Adam Smethwick is arrested for the murder, Amy, a family friend, is convinced of his innocence and sets out to prove that the detective has arrested the wrong man.
Amy befriends Justine, the young, French fiancé of the elderly George, and soon discovers that it was not all sweetness and light in the Handsley family home. Meanwhile, back at the factory, Amy is sure that the foreman, Mr Pilling, has something to hide.
As the investigation proceeds, Amy finds that her burgeoning relationship with Bodkin is pushed to the limits as the detective becomes even more convinced that he has arrested the right man and while Bodkin relies heavily on the facts as they are presented, Amy has a more nuanced approach to solving the crime, born out of her beloved Agatha Christie books
Murder at the Mill is the first book in a gorgeous 1930's cosy crime series .
AMY RETURNS ! - Death at Lychgate: the second Amy Rowlings book is out Christmas 2022
Today I am delighted to share an exclusive book extract from Murder at the Mill and quite frankly, I can’t wait to read it!
Bodkin shook his head.
‘Things are changing, Amy. There’s no place for attitudes like that these days.’
‘It will take more than a new police station to change the men around here,’ she said.
Bodkin pulled a face. ‘I intend to help them change.’ He brightened and smiled. ‘So, eleven o’clock? I’ll be around then; Ronnie Croft is coming at ten-fifteen and I have a lot of questions for her.’
‘I could make it in the afternoon if you’re really busy, but not after four. I’ve got to get ready for our Saturday night out.’
Bodkin looked disappointed. ‘Ah, so your young man is taking you out. Are you going dancing?’
Amy shook her head. ‘I don’t have a young man. I haven’t met anyone around here anywhere near interesting enough. I’m going to the pictures with my best friend, Alice, as it happens. We go every Saturday night, then afterwards, we buy fish and chips and finish up in the Old Bull for an hour or so… Which reminds me. Freda should be in there tomorrow night. Peter usually dumps her in the snug on a Saturday, a lot of men stick their wives in there. The women don’t mind, they’re safer, until they get home that is. You should call in one night, Bodkin, see how much there is to change around here, attitude wise.’
Bodkin held up his hands in mock surrender. ‘When you say the pictures, do you mean the Roxy on Middle Street? It’s only a hundred yards up the road from the police station.’ He thought for a moment. ‘You, err, I don’t suppose you’d allow me to tag along, would you? I’m so new to the area, I haven’t had time to make any friends yet, and I do love a good movie.’
‘Okay,’ said Amy. ‘But it’s not a date, and you’ll have to bring someone else, or Alice will claim she feels like a gooseberry. Even though it’s NOT a date,’ she added quickly.
‘I’ll bring Ferris with me. He’s a good sort. A bit shy at times, but he’s only in his early twenties himself. He’s uniform, he moved up here from Gillingham the same week as me. What time shall we say, and, more importantly, what’s on?’
‘There’s only the main feature and an old Laurel and Hardy short this week. It’s The Lady Vanishes, it’s been out a few months but it’s only just found its way to our neck of the woods. Hitchcock directed it, and it stars Margaret Lockwood and Michael Redgrave, so it’s bound to be good.’
‘I’m looking forward to it already… so, what time, and where?’
‘Make it six-thirty at the bus stop just down from the Roxy,’ said Amy. ‘Alice and I sometimes walk, as it’s only three stops on the bus, but in this weather, I don’t think our going-out shoes would last the distance.’
Bodkin grinned. ‘Thank you, Amy. You’re very kind. Thank Alice for me too.’
The detective turned to lead the way out of the repair shop. As Amy began to follow, she noticed something glistening in between two of the green metal cabinets.
‘What’s this?’ she said, bending down to get a closer look. She put her hand between the cabinets and pulled out a gold necklace decorated with seven, large, precious stones. She held it up to the light to get a better look. Bodkin was at her side in an instant. He pulled out a white handkerchief from his pocket and gently took the jewellery from Amy’s hand.
‘Blimey!’ he said, as he examined it. ‘This doesn’t look like costume jewellery to me.’
‘It’s not,’ said Amy. ‘You can tell when you hold it up to the light. Those gems are real, I’d stake my record collection on it.’
Bodkin wrapped the necklace in his handkerchief and slipped it into the inside pocket of his mac. ‘I’ll get this checked out with a jeweller tomorrow.’ He looked at Amy and shook his head, again.
‘How the hell did our uniforms miss that? They supposedly searched this half of the repair shop this morning.’
‘Maybe the lights weren’t on then,’ said Amy. ‘I only noticed it because of the reflected light from the ceiling.’
‘Another puzzle to add to the mystery,’ said Bodkin, more to himself than to Amy. He opened the door for her to leave first. ‘One thing is for certain. No one working in this place could afford to own a thing like that. So, who does it belong to, and how the hell did it get there?’
Well colour me intrigued! How awesome does this sound!
Until next time xxx
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