Desperate to emerge from the shadow of his late father, Sir William Fescue – better known as Wispy – sets up his own detective agency in April 1920 along with his friend from the Western Front and fellow gourmand, Strangely, and feisty Oxford graduate and keen entomologist Miss Wanda Cushway.

Flushed with success of their first case in solving the murder of Viscount George Thurmaston, they are plunged headlong into a mission to find Florence, the missing daughter of shipbuilding magnate and ruthless businessman Sir Chester Eastoff.

Ransom notes and gruesome threats are delivered, sparking a race against time which takes Wispy, Strangely and Wanda across England, Scotland, Germany and France in planes, trains, and automobiles. Tracking down a kidnapper is hungry work, though, and they never miss an opportunity to indulge in the local gastronomy.

Will Florence be rescued in time? Will the real culprits be caught and brought to justice? And will Wispy and his agency achieve another success and solve this high-profile case, or was his father right all along?

Geoffrey Start’s early childhood was spent in rural Norfolk before he moved to Southwest London, where he still lives with his family. His mother was a domestic science teacher and a fantastic cook, and from an early age she encouraged him to understand and appreciate food. Unsurprisingly, gastronomy plays an integral part in his writing. His sense of humour and love of eccentric characters shine through in his cosy crime novels.

Geoffrey explains: “I knew I wanted to write the characters I had invented and developed into a period cosy crime novel. Their quintessential Englishness cried out for the novel to be set in post first world war Britain of the early 1920s. So I sat down in January 2020 with a rough plot sketched out and started to write my maiden novel, The Biscuit Barrel Murder, which was published in January 2023.

I love food and I knew that it should and would form a unique part of my writing. I have an interest in gastronomy and like to explore local cuisine relevant to the area where the characters are dining or picnicking.”

RELEASE DATE: 28/07/2024 ISBN: 9781835740170 Price: £8.99