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Close Call
(2026)(The first book in the Golden Age Telephone Gossips Mystery series)
A Story by Isabella Bassett
Nothing is secret in an English village.
Lady Ursula has always eschewed the telephone. After all, a letter is a far more civilized way to communicate. And one simply knows that Gladys at the exchange is listening in on every call. But when murder shatters the tranquility of Thistle-Upon-Avon, and Gladys is the first to hear of the latest developments, Lady Ursula begins to reconsider her position.
Now, armed with the knowledge that nothing travels faster than gossip down a telephone line, Lady Ursula forms a village circle of other ladies-with-telephones to help snare a killer. The Vicar’s wife, the Doctor’s sister, and even Gladys—though somewhat reluctant to relinquish her exclusive hold on village affairs—join this discreet web of information-gathering. Soon, even a whisper cannot escape the notice of these clever ladies. But will a close call with the murderer frighten the ladies off their task, or will it spur them on?
With a teacup in one hand and the receiver in the other, they untangle alibis, expose lies, and prove that nothing remains secret in an English village for long.
‘Close Call’ is Book 1 of the Telephone GossipsMysteries. Suspended in the golden hour between the two wars, the series evokes the charm and idyll of English village life in the late 1920s and early 1930s. But appearances can be deceiving. The glint of the silver tea service hides a flicker of envy in the eye. The melodic tinkling of fine bone china masks the rattle of a skeleton in the closet. And while the lace tablecloth flutters gently in the wind and the parlourmaid in her snow-white apron serves tea, beneath the pristine surface bubble social tensions, ambition, secrets, and murder.
Note to my dear readers: The Lady Caroline Mysteries continue. I am working on the next one.
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Lady Ursula has always eschewed the telephone. After all, a letter is a far more civilized way to communicate. And one simply knows that Gladys at the exchange is listening in on every call. But when murder shatters the tranquility of Thistle-Upon-Avon, and Gladys is the first to hear of the latest developments, Lady Ursula begins to reconsider her position.
Now, armed with the knowledge that nothing travels faster than gossip down a telephone line, Lady Ursula forms a village circle of other ladies-with-telephones to help snare a killer. The Vicar’s wife, the Doctor’s sister, and even Gladys—though somewhat reluctant to relinquish her exclusive hold on village affairs—join this discreet web of information-gathering. Soon, even a whisper cannot escape the notice of these clever ladies. But will a close call with the murderer frighten the ladies off their task, or will it spur them on?
With a teacup in one hand and the receiver in the other, they untangle alibis, expose lies, and prove that nothing remains secret in an English village for long.
‘Close Call’ is Book 1 of the Telephone GossipsMysteries. Suspended in the golden hour between the two wars, the series evokes the charm and idyll of English village life in the late 1920s and early 1930s. But appearances can be deceiving. The glint of the silver tea service hides a flicker of envy in the eye. The melodic tinkling of fine bone china masks the rattle of a skeleton in the closet. And while the lace tablecloth flutters gently in the wind and the parlourmaid in her snow-white apron serves tea, beneath the pristine surface bubble social tensions, ambition, secrets, and murder.
Note to my dear readers: The Lady Caroline Mysteries continue. I am working on the next one.
Genre: Cozy Mystery
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