Drumroll, please!
I didn’t intend to write a mystery book when I started this story but it turned into a right old 1950s murder mystery story as I was typing…
Please welcome Miss Mirabelle Bevan’s first mystery, Brighton Belle which is published this week. I have thoroughly indulged my love of Miss Marple and Monsieur Poirot while writing this and also given a nod to some more noir 1950s stories.
The book originated from a boozy lunch with my father, who is always coming up with tales from his childhood and teenage years in London and Brighton. He’d seen a well-dressed woman on Brighton beach dodging the deck chair attendant when he was there in the early 1950s. Dad couldn’t figure out why someone so immaculately dressed (and clearly, in his eyes, minted) wouldn’t just pay for her seat. The image intrigued me and I wondered what the chic lady was up to.
At first I thought I was writing a short story but it wasn’t long before that 1950s mystery obsession of mine kicked in and the story grew to the length of a novel.
The early 1950s are steeped in post-War recovery with all its attendant secrets and lies and I’ve let Mirabelle loose on the lot starting with Brighton Belle in 1951.
I’m so looking forward to finishing up her next mystery, London Calling, set in (wait for it) 1952…
Here are those handy Amazon links:
Paperback: Amazon UK | Amazon US
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