Simon Brett

Charles Paris's acting career plumbs new depths when he takes on the part of a possible murder victim in Public Enemies, a true-crime TV series. Finding himself in a bizarre world somewhere between police procedure and showbiz, Charles can't help getting involved in the investigation - especially when dismembered limbs start turning up.

A stuffy dinner party at an English mansion is not Jude's cup of tea. But when the nearly mummified torso of a woman shows up in the cellar, Jude and her reluctant neighbor, Carole, soon find themselves embroiled in a puzzling whodunit.

When a private viewing of works by a controversial artist turns from lively to violent, Fethering residents Carole and Jude believe that the local police are wrong about a suicide ruling and privately investigate suspicions that a murder has taken place.

"Polly's Cake Shop has been a feature of the shopping parade for many years, but when its owner announces her retirement, the Fethering residents start to worry about the loss of this popular amenity. Alarmed by rumours that the café might become a Starbucks, a group clubs together to form the Save Polly's Cake Shop Action Committee. The plan is that Polly's should become a community venture, managed and run by volunteers from the village. Roped...

Having landed a small part in a new West End play, The Habit of Faith, Charles Paris is dismayed to discover that his good fortune has been orchestrated by his bête noire, the now-famous screen actor Justin Grover. But why has Grover become involved in this relatively obscure production - and why has he roped in Charles to star?

While waitressing at the Hopwicke Country House Hotel as a favor for a friend, Jude becomes involved in murder when a member of the Pillars of Sussex, a group of local businessmen, is found dead and Jude suspects foul play.

For once Charles Paris is gainfully employed in the role of Sergeant Clump in what promises to be a long-running TV series based on rather dated 1930s detective novels. Yet once again, Charles finds himself in the role of real-life detective when he discovers a young actress's body crushed beneath a props case, and sets out to prove his hunch that she was murdered.

A brief appearance on a TV game show, 'If the Cap Fits', means a day's pay, a few interesting contacts and a chance to visit the West End Television bar - not the least of incentives for a man of Charles Paris's thirst. But murder? Even for game shows where they'll try almost anything once, murder is going too far.

It wasn't the rain that upset Carole Seddon during her walk on the West Sussex Downs, nor was it the dilapidated barn in which she sought shelter. What upset her was the human skeleton she discovered there, neatly packed into two blue fertilizer bags. Thus begins the mystery for strait-laced Carole and her more laid-back neighbor Jude, whose investigation takes them to the small hamlet of Weldisham. There gossips quickly identify the corpse as Tamsin...