Trapped with a killer ...

I've been invited to a lavish country house party in a magnificent castle. I imagine cliff-top walks, cream teas by the fire, goblets of wine, and sparkling conversation.

Instead, my eccentric hostess insists her guests attend medieval-themed workshops, wear smelly, rustic smocks, and discuss the merits of seaweed and donkey dung.

Soon, valuables start to vanish, tempers flare, and my fellow guests turn on each other. Losing my Chanel lipstick is bad enough, but when a violent storm cuts off the only road to the castle—and our host mysteriously disappears—I realise there’s something far more sinister going on.

Have I witnessed a murder? In my panic, I advertise my suspicions to the wrong person. Now I’m trapped in an isolated castle with a cold-blooded killer—and I might be their next target.

Can I keep my head long enough to outwit the murderer? Or will this damsel in distress become the final victim?

The Murder Away From Merangs is one of a series of culinary cozy mysteries. The Merang Mysteries collection is set in small-town Buttersley in Yorkshire, England, and features amateur sleuth, Helen Merang and her cast of quirky friends. Each book leads to the next, but can also be read as a standalone. Written in British English with a few sweary words, mild profanity and peril.