Francis Meadowes

Bryce Peabody is ready to give a scandalous talk at the annual literary festival in the pretty English town of Mold-on-Wold. Scathing in his reviews and unseemly in his affairs, Bryce is known to have many enemies. So when he's discovered dead in his hotel room, festival attendees are desperate to know what happened. Could one of the numerous writers he has insulted have taken revenge? Or perhaps one of his scorned lovers? Soon, author Francis Meadowes is drawn into a role he knows only from his own fiction—that of amateur detective.

Crime writer Francis Meadowes has landed an enviable job lecturing aboard the luxurious Golden Adventurer as it cruises down the West African coast. His fellow passengers, including opinionated retired surgeon Klaus, mischievous elderly widow Eve, flamboyant designer Sebastian, beautiful American aid worker Sadie, and her tedious but extremely wealthy aunt Marion, are an eclectic group. But when one guest is found dead in bed and another disappears overboard, Francis must employ all his professional expertise to find out which of the colorful characters on the ship is capable of murder.

Francis Meadowes is soaking up the late summer sun in Italy, running a creative writing course at the beautiful Villa Giulia, deep in the remote Umbrian countryside. His students include snooty, irritating Poppy and her ex-ambassador husband; eccentric Northern Irishman Liam, who writes angry poems about the Troubles; kooky American Sasha, younger than most of the group; and mysterious possible spy Tony, amongst others. But what should have been a magical week turns into something sinister when one of the group is found dead in the sauna.