Murder at Cranborne Abbey

Murder at Cranborne Abbey is a wildly entertaining comedy crime caper that takes you on a rollicking ride through 1990s Devon!  

What starts as a simple job soon spirals into murder, mystery and mayhem…

Chipp and Pinn couldn’t be more different. Chipp, shaped by a troubled past, is tough, instinctive and never far from trouble. Pinn, raised in privilege but restless and rebellious, is searching for something more. Together, they run a struggling second-hand furniture business in Devon — until desperation pushes them into the world of private investigation.

Their first case seems straightforward: recover a stolen watch. But when a mysterious client invites them to spend the night at Cranborne Abbey, the pair are drawn into something far more dangerous.

A haunted abbey.
A missing body.
A conspiracy reaching into the heart of government.

As suspicion falls on them for a murder they may not have committed, Chipp and Pinn find themselves entangled in a web of corruption, criminal enterprise and hidden identities. With a relentless detective closing in and time running out, they must rely on their wits — and each other — to uncover the truth.

Set against the richly evocative backdrop of Exeter and Devon in the 1990s, Murder at Cranborne Abbey is a fast-paced comedy crime caper packed with eccentric characters, sharp dialogue, unexpected twists, and a musical soundtrack to accompany the ride.

Blending humour with mystery and a touch of the absurd, it is the first in a highly entertaining new series that’s both nostalgic and refreshingly irreverent.

Featuring a full-colour map of Devon highlighting key locations from the story, this is the perfect read for fans of British crime fiction with a humorous edge — and for anyone who enjoys a mystery that doesn’t take itself too seriously.

Provides a rich immersive experience by including a collection of original songs which are playable by scanning QR codes in the book

Ideal for holiday reading, gift market, folk born and bred in the county of Devon, Devon residents, book clubs and tourists.  

John Eaton is a British author, lyricist and creator whose work spans comic fiction, poetry, children’s storytelling and musical satire. Across books, songs and stage-ready narratives, his defining strength is the same: a sharp observational eye paired with warmth, wit and an instinct for story.

Murder at Cranborne Abbey is Eaton’s first full-length novel. Drawing on the classic British tradition of comic crime—from Wodehouse to Sharpe—Eaton combines tightly plotted mystery with farce, character-driven comedy and an affectionate skewering of institutions and human foibles. The result is crime fiction that entertains as much through voice and character as through plot.