Grasshopper Lawns Series by E.J. Lamprey

Second in the whodunit series for armchair detectives everywhere In One Two Buckle My Shoe the engaging Edge and Vivian solved a flurry of murders at Grasshopper Lawns with their new friends Donald and William, but life has now settled back to normal; as normal as it can be in this particular Scottish retirement village, where residents are chosen for their interesting histories... moreSecond in the whodunit series for armchair detectives everywhere In One Two Buckle My Shoe the engaging Edge and Vivian solved a flurry of murders at Grasshopper Lawns with their new friends Donald and William, but life has now settled back to normal; as normal as it can be in this particular Scottish retirement village, where residents are chosen for their interesting histories. Vivian and William are relishing their lively flirtation, there’s a new resident with a dreadful dog, and Sylvia is enjoying the visit of a devoted and handsome nephew. Even the suicide of a young and pretty Nigerian girl doesn’t seem to need the murder-solving talents of the four friends.The most exotic visitor is the enigmatic Dallas from Louisiana, with life-changing news for Vivian; but when Death makes a personal call, recent events take on a more sinister aspect. Once again the amateur sleuths of the retirement village combine to solve murder in between unexpected family, winter picnics, bad dogs and Englishmen. Well, Australians. less

Back to where it all started Unsurprisingly, there are murky goings-on at the Grasshopper Lawns retirement village, but for once they’re not getting the attention they deserve. In this fifth book in the series, Hamish, the popular bursar, is on a year’s sabbatical and has been replaced by a political wannabe who alienates everyone. She’s not the only new appointment: there’s a very suspect new maintenance manager who doesn’t delight the female residents as much as he thinks he does... moreBack to where it all started Unsurprisingly, there are murky goings-on at the Grasshopper Lawns retirement village, but for once they’re not getting the attention they deserve. In this fifth book in the series, Hamish, the popular bursar, is on a year’s sabbatical and has been replaced by a political wannabe who alienates everyone. She’s not the only new appointment: there’s a very suspect new maintenance manager who doesn’t delight the female residents as much as he thinks he does. There’s progress on Edge’s potential TV series Pick Up Sticks . Donald sets up a visit to his slightly dubious social club (which, it turns out, sails nearer than he had ever intended to the extremely dodgy world of leather fetishism and BDSM), and Vivian upsets the apple-cart by nearly dying of pneumonia. One way and another, the four friends are definitely distracted, and even wondering whether they are so used to intrigue that they are making mountains out of molehills. Regular readers will notice this book is called a Grasshopper Lawns affair, instead of the usual Grasshopper Lawns whodunit. It is a whodunit, and the clues are tucked in plain sight as much as they ever were. You can beat them to the solution if you don’t also get distracted—it’s all there, the usual challenge for the armchair detective. However, there is, this time, a completely unexpected affair. It is so distracting that I had to change the subtitle, because whodunit purists would not approve. Those purists will probably also want to skip Chapter Five. There are no clues in that chapter to progress the series, and it is as steamy as the book gets (not very steamy) and contains the only swearies. Overall the book stays true to its cozy whodunit (or cosy whodunnit) genre, which means the style is gently rambling, with no overt violence, obscenity or graphic sex. Like the others in the series, it is a novella and, despite the rambling tone, moves along fairly briskly. Red herrings happen. It is both the darkest, and the most light-hearted, book in the series so far. Begin Again, indeed. Excerpt ‘I love your imagination,’ Edge said appreciatively. ‘You leap tall buildings in a single bound. But can we check any of it?’ ‘I’m frighteningly good,’ William agreed modestly and patted her hand. ‘Vivian, my lovely, would you know for sure if you saw your slimy Si again, clean-shaven and in a suit, whether he was Thomas or not?’ ‘Yes, of course. I haven’t seen Simon in months so it could just be an uncanny likeness. But I have a very clear mental picture of Thomas.’ ‘Then you should call and make an appointment to see Slimy Si about your investments. I’ll go with you. That’ll sort that bit out straight away. Whether he’s left the bank, or turns out not to be the same man, whatever, we either confirm the theory or brush it away. Pity we can’t track down a way of seeing Jemima out with her bloke, as well. Then we get to look at all three men.’ less

A nice mix of the familiar and the uncanny Traditional Scottish Prayer - From ghoulies and ghosties and long-leggedy beasties, and things that go bump in the night, Good Lord, deliver us! There’s a newcomer at the Grasshopper Lawns retirement village, and she’s an absolute battle-axe. One requirement of residency is to have an interesting past and Beulah Quinn’s past has been interesting to the point of scandalous... moreA nice mix of the familiar and the uncanny Traditional Scottish Prayer - From ghoulies and ghosties and long-leggedy beasties, and things that go bump in the night, Good Lord, deliver us! There’s a newcomer at the Grasshopper Lawns retirement village, and she’s an absolute battle-axe. One requirement of residency is to have an interesting past and Beulah Quinn’s past has been interesting to the point of scandalous. Now nearly eighty, she was notorious for her lovers and her political machinations and has been described variously as the most beautiful woman of her day, a widow-maker, and a full-blown witch. Now, though, someone is trying to kill her; and family is family. To Edge’s horror, her aunt is moving in. Anyone who has ever thought of a friend moments before the friend rang, or changed their mind in response to a subconscious uneasiness, knows that the thread of the unknown still runs through our lives. For some, it isn’t a thread, and it isn’t the unknown. This is a step outside the series, an exception, hence the Halloween tag. There are no broomstick sorties, no star-scattering sparkling wands, but there is a kind of ancient power: the sort we all have to some degree, that flash of the uncanny. For most of us, it is intermittent, unreliable. For Beulah Quinn, it is a way of life. In this story the unsuspecting Edge and her friends are suddenly in the middle of something that strains their credulity, but when it comes to finding answers in a race against time, with Beulah Quinn’s life at stake, it is their experience that tips the scales. The actual rescue, well, there are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy. And yes, quoting the Scottish play would have been more appropriate. There is, of course, murder to be solved, and the alert reader has all the clues (and red herrings) that every Grasshopper Lawns story provides. There’s also a free short story lead-in, for once, in which Vivian’s grandchildren find a pre-Roman burial mound with a more recent body in situ. It is a light-hearted story, a summer day cameo, and you don’t need to have read it to enjoy this book, but you are very welcome to it if you sign up on http://elegsabiff.com/ . (You can unsubscribe at any time, but if you stay on the mailing list there are occasional special offers and other intermittent free stories.) The beta reader comments included words writers love to hear, like "really liked the build up - suspense, humour, excitement, danger." and "scary and yet funny". One extremely high-powered reader commented that she didn't usually read any stories about magic at all of any kind (too easily scared), but found all the characters and the general set-up very interesting, and was happy to carry on reading, intrigued by all the goings-on. Another said Whew! What a climax! They all finished it (always a gamble with beta readers, who have many calls on their time) and all had lively feedback. Good! less

The seventh book in this whodunit series heads off for the sun The main maid courting in this book is Kirsty, Edge’s lovely young niece, who is taking a brief holiday break from her job with Police Scotland to be wooed in the romantic surroundings of Tenerife... moreThe seventh book in this whodunit series heads off for the sun The main maid courting in this book is Kirsty, Edge’s lovely young niece, who is taking a brief holiday break from her job with Police Scotland to be wooed in the romantic surroundings of Tenerife. Unluckily for Kirsty the Grasshopper Lawns books are whodunits, not love stories, so it will be no surprise to followers of the series that Drew vanishes, leaving her alone in the Canaries, unable to speak a word of Spanish and finding little professional cooperation being offered by the multiple policing services on the island. Her aunt Edge is the automatic person to call, and not only because they are close. Edge and her friends Donald, Vivian and William have established quite a track record for solving mysteries in the last year or so, and are quick to the rescue. However, matters become even more complicated. In fact, downright sinister. Was Drew the real target, or just the bait? This sunny whodunit is the seventh in the series and as light-hearted and studded with clues and red herrings as the earlier ones. The armchair detective is whisked along to the exotic and beautiful island of Tenerife, far from the green and lovely Scottish countryside, to solve the case before the friends do. less