I am delighted to share an extract today ~ thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources for organizing.
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Genre: Cozy Mystery
Publication Date: March 31 2025
Estimated Page Count: 330
Series: A Right Royal Cozy Investigation Mystery #10
Intro
Lady Beatrice, her cute dog Daisy, her son Sam, and best his friend, Archie, are joined by DS Richard Fitzwilliam, Bea’s best friends Perry and Simon, and Simon’s daughter Isla, for a relaxing holiday in the sun, and they can’t wait. They’ve all had a crazy year so far, and all they want to do is sit by the pool and chill. No mysteries. No murder. Just sunny weather, good food, and great company. Their villa, Villa Mer, is in a complex of three, but Bea hopes that they can keep their interaction with their neighbours to a minimum, especially when she finds out that one of them is famous American actress, Ella St Gerome, and her husband, hot-shot Hollywood film producer, JT Kenda. The couple have been splashed all over the newspapers recently with rumours that he wasn’t giving his wife the lead role in his next movie. Bea doesn’t want to be dragged into that drama. But it was never going to be that simple, was it?
Bea and the others are having breakfast the day after they arrived at their villa. Bea is looking forward to a day of relaxing in the sun, but Perry is desperate to know more about their neighbours. Ana, the housekeeper, has told them about the guests at Villa Sol, Ella and JT, and Bea is even more convinced she wants to steer clear of them, but now Simon wants to know about the inhabitants of the other villa…
Extract
There was a slightly awkward pause, then Simon asked, “Er, what about the other villa?”
Ana dipped her head. “You know Enzo, my son? He picked you up from the airport yesterday.” They acknowledged her words with a soft murmur. Enzo worked for Lady Grace and her husband, TV’s favourite entrepreneur Sir Hewitt, as their driver and handyman at Villa Mer. “His best friend, Miquel Gomes, is the head gardener for Marisol. Miquel has told him there’s been lots of arguing over at Villa Luz, where Mr Stone and his wife are staying.”
“Vanessa Stone, the model?” Perry asked, his eyes dancing.
Ana dipped her chin. “Si. She’s beautiful.”
Bea looked at Perry quizzically. “Is that Nessa Stone, the interior designer?”
Perry grinned. “Interior stylist to the stars!” he said with a flourish. “Yes, that’s her. She was a model before she turned her hand to design.”
A pinch of excitement ran through Bea’s body. Nessa Stone was an icon in the interior design business, and although her aesthetic was more contemporary than Bea’s, she could still imagine the ex-model would be interesting to talk to.
Ana gathered up a handful of used plates. “They have their daughter here with them too. Always about the place on that phone of hers.” With that, she excused herself to fetch more coffee.
“Chloe Stone!” Sam exclaimed as he stared wide-eyed at Archie.
“The Chloe Stone?” Isla asked.
“Yes!” Archie turned to Bea. “She’s a huge social media star with millions of followers, Lady B.” He was barely able to contain his elation. “Sam and I follow her religiously.”
Bea looked over at her son, whose cheeks were turning a little pink. Do you now?
“Er…yeah, she posts every day,” he said a little sheepishly.
Archie and Isla pulled out their phones at the same time.
“Ah, so she’s posting all those beach and pool photos from here…” Isla said to the boys as she scrolled on her phone. “That’s pretty cool.”
Bea swallowed, her mouth feeling dry. Not if she posts pictures of us here too. It won’t take the press five minutes to work out where we are. Her stomach dropped. They would descend on this place like a pack of wolves. She spun around to look at Rich.
He seemed to have already guessed where her mind had gone. “Don’t worry, Bea. Simon and I will check out the security arrangements for Marisol this morning.” He turned to Sam, Archie, and Isla. “I hope it goes without saying that we want to keep our presence here off the radar. So no posting pictures on social media while we’re here, okay?”
The teenage trio nodded.
“Shall we go to the beach and check it out?” Isla suggested to the boys. Sam nodded, his eyes still glued to Chloe’s social media page. Archie agreed enthusiastically.
“Alright, but don’t venture outside the estate on your own,” Bea told them. She and Rich had checked the beach out during their early morning run with Daisy, part of Rich’s new exercise regimen to slim down the little terrier. “It’s safe, but don’t swim out beyond the yellow buoys.”
“Got it, Mum,” Sam replied as he and Archie rose from the table.
“And put on plenty of sunscreen!” she cried out after them as they dashed out of the room.
“Don’t worry, Bea.” Isla grabbed a banana from the bowl in the middle of the table as she stood. “I’ll keep an eye on them and make sure they don’t drool all over Chloe Stone if we see her.”
Book blurb:
A perfect sunny getaway with no drama. Or so they’d hoped…
BREAKING NEWS Woman Taken in for Questioning in Death of Actress’ Husband
Police in Portugal this morning told reporters that a woman is being questioned in connection with the murder of the film producer Jason ‘JT’ Kenda, who was married to award-winning actress Ariella St Gerome.
Mr Kenda, who was found dead in the swimming pool of the couple’s villa, was initially thought to have died following an accident, but now police believe the American was killed intentionally. The villa is next door to where Lady Beatrice, the Countess of Rossex, is currently holidaying with family and friends at the villa of TV’s Sir Hewitt and his wife, Lady Grace.
Who can say no to Lady Grace? When the daughter of Lady Grace’s housekeeper is suspected of murder, her ladyship requests that Bea and her friends prove the maid’s innocence. But with time running out, can they navigate the tangled web of lies, betrayal, and hidden motives before an innocent woman is imprisoned for a crime she didn’t commit? Because even on holiday, the sleuthing never stops!
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Author Bio –
Hello. I’m Helen Golden. I write British contemporary cozy whodunnits with a hint of humour. I live in small village in Lincolnshire in the UK with my husband, my step-daughter, her two cats, our two dogs, sometimes my step-son, and our tortoise.
I used to work in senior management, but after my recent job came to a natural end I had the opportunity to follow my dreams and start writing. It’s very early in my life as an author, but so far I’m loving it.
It’s crazy busy at our house, so when I’m writing I retreat to our caravan (an impulsive lockdown purchase) which is mostly parked on our drive. When I really need total peace and quiet, I take it to a lovely site about 15 minutes away and hide there until my family runs out of food or clean clothes
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