A Sleuth's Guide to Murder and Fine Art
(2026)(The first book in the Sleuths of a Certain Age series)
A novel by Rose Pascoe
A scandalous art sale. A dead multimillionaire. An accusation of murder. Turning 60 isn’t supposed to be this hard.
Art teacher Hazel Bond feels as though fate has painted a target on her back. Widowed and jobless, she retreats to the picture-perfect alpine community of her childhood to paint, ski, and seek serenity.
But serenity is off the menu. A rumoured sale of art and heritage treasures sparks angry protests. Then a wealthy art collector dies in an apparent accident at a nearby ski field, with Hazel as the only witness. Or, as the police view it, the only suspect.
Her hopes of extricating herself aren’t helped when she is drawn deeper into the mystery by two men with their own agendas. Benedict Finlayson is an uptight fish out of water who claims to be an international art expert. Gary Taylor is so laid back that he never left the ’70s. Neither man is quite what he seems to be. Luckily, Hazel’s eccentric godmother is right behind her, even if that means giving her a helpful shove in the back.
Fuelled by wine, cheese, and pig-headed determination, these sleuths of a certain age are not about to let wealth and power get in the way of justice.
Welcome to Book One in a murderous mystery tour of the stunning beauty of southern New Zealand.
Genre: Mystery
Art teacher Hazel Bond feels as though fate has painted a target on her back. Widowed and jobless, she retreats to the picture-perfect alpine community of her childhood to paint, ski, and seek serenity.
But serenity is off the menu. A rumoured sale of art and heritage treasures sparks angry protests. Then a wealthy art collector dies in an apparent accident at a nearby ski field, with Hazel as the only witness. Or, as the police view it, the only suspect.
Her hopes of extricating herself aren’t helped when she is drawn deeper into the mystery by two men with their own agendas. Benedict Finlayson is an uptight fish out of water who claims to be an international art expert. Gary Taylor is so laid back that he never left the ’70s. Neither man is quite what he seems to be. Luckily, Hazel’s eccentric godmother is right behind her, even if that means giving her a helpful shove in the back.
Fuelled by wine, cheese, and pig-headed determination, these sleuths of a certain age are not about to let wealth and power get in the way of justice.
Welcome to Book One in a murderous mystery tour of the stunning beauty of southern New Zealand.
Genre: Mystery
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