Poison at Pemberton Hall
A dazzling diva, a glittering society dinner, and a killer with a terrible grudge…
In Edwardian England, bookish and bespectacled Vita Carew longs to be left to her scientific studies. But she can't avoid the event of the season, a gala at Pemberton Hall. This glamorous concert and sumptuous dinner will mark the Pemberton household’s triumphant return to society after a run of misfortune.
But disaster strikes as soon as the seafood is served. Elegant guests fall ill on all sides and, whilst administering first aid as best she can, amateur sleuth Vita suspects foul play. When the Pemberton’s governess is found dead the next day, Vita’s suspicions double—could Miss Hartley’s death have been covered up to avoid interrupting the carefully planned soirée?
Vita must probe dark secrets behind Pemberton Hall’s elegant veneer to discover who is to blame. But can she do so before the killer strikes again?
Poison at Pemberton Hall is the intriguing first novel in Fran Smith’s Vita Carew Mysteries, perfect for readers who love stylish mysteries and feisty female sleuths.
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Praise for the Vita Carew Mysteries series:
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ A delightful read.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Well worth reading!
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Rich with details and personalities.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Wonderfully witty and cleverly written.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ I liked Vita immensely.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Plot twists a plenty and interesting characters.
Fran Smith lives in the quiet countryside near Cambridge. All her stories are based in and around the area.
She writes in three series:
The Vita Carew Mysteries. Vita is a would-be doctor facing all the challenges of studying science in the early 20th century, when women were struggling to do so. As she works to overcome prejudice and her own poor early education, she stumbles into a series of mysteries where her skills in analysis and observation come in very useful.
There are now five Vita Carew mysteries: Poison at Pemberton Hall, A Thin Sharp Blade (shortlisted for a Debut Dagger by the Crime Writer’s Association in 2019), Dr Potter’s Private Practice, The Painted Penny Stamp and The Killing at Crowswood Castle. Number six is due out in the autumn of 2023.
The Moth Agency Romances (under the pen name Lucy Greenhill): in which the enterprising Victorian sisters, Lucia and Christabel Venables, run their hat shop and introductions agency and so become involved in the love stories of 19th century Cambridge. Book 1, An Utterly Unsuitable Lady, was published in April 2023.
The Sister B letters: in which a sister from a remote fenland convent maintains a quirky correspondence with an adventurous Suffolk nun working in remotest Peru.
Fran originally wrote Best Wishes, Sister B, to entertain her husband as he recovered from a stroke. It started as a series of letters written on crowded commuter trains in the early morning and posted home to encourage him to walk as far as the front door mat. The Power of Cake, a sequel, came a little later. A third in the series is planned.