When life hands you a haunted manor, a talking cat, and a corpse, you make tea. And try not to panic.

Newly divorced, jobless, and skint, Gertie Goodspell inherits crumbling (and possibly sentient) Margrave Manor?complete with ley lines, botanical drama and a cat who insists she's a countess.

She's barely unpacked when a pompous actor drops dead during a village play rehearsal. Poisoned. In her ballroom. With her teacup.

The house seems cursed, the locals are a bit murdery, and the detective is annoyingly handsome and full of himself.

Armed only with sarcasm and a deeply judgmental, posh cat, Gertie must untangle a mystery soaked in secrets... and rediscover the magic she left behind as a child.

Perfect for fans of magical mischief, witty women over forty, and countryside crimes with claws.

P.S. If you're after gritty realism and proper procedure, you're in the wrong village?so best leave before the cat spots you.