"Goodbye, cruel world." The famous writer Ian O'Shelley is found dead in his cottage in Earlsraven with a suicide note beside him. Nathalie Ames is a big fan of the author and starts to look into the case more closely. She discovers that O'Shelley was a man with many secrets. Was it really suicide? Or was the likeable bestselling author murdered? But while Nathalie is investigating O'Shelley's past, her private life is breaking down - all because of her move to Earlsraven.

About the series: There was nothing in the will about this...

Cottages, English roses and rolling hills: that's Earlsraven. In the middle of it all: the "Black Feather". Not only does young Nathalie Ames unexpectedly inherit this cosy inn from her aunt, she also falls heir to her aunt's secret double life! She solved criminal cases together with her cook Louise, a former agent of the British Crown. And while Nathalie is still trying to warm up to the quirky villagers, she discovers that sleuthing runs in the family.

About the author: Ellen Barksdale was born in the English seaside resort of Brighton, where her parents ran a small boarding house. From childhood she was a bookworm, and from a young age was interested in crime novels. Her first experience of crime fiction was with the Maigret novels by Georges Simenon. After years of reading crime fiction, she recently decided to take up writing herself. Tea? Coffee? Murder! is her first mystery series. The author lives near Swansea with her partner Ian and their three mongrels Billy, Bobby and Libby.