Sherman Holmes has reached a crossroads in his life, having inherited a large fortune from a hitherto unknown relative. John Garden also has a decision to make that will have a far-reaching effect on his future. The two happen to book into the same hotel, The Black Swan, on the same weekend, to mull over the changes to their lives that both of them are thinking of making.

Meeting purely by chance, foundations for a friendship are laid based on their mutual love of Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories. When a murder occurs in the hotel, though, it isn’t long before their bond strengthens, as they decide to form an alliance and unmask the murderer. They soon find that Death is following them like a faithful dog and, as the case gets more tangled, they make the decision to cement their alliance formally and set up as private investigators.

The novel introduces us to DI Olivia Hardy, a firm but fair cop, and her new partner, DS Lauren Groves. Their wildly different backgrounds and styles of policing cause problems at first, but the two women bond over a shared love of music, and over the pressures of juggling complicated family lives with the horrors of the job. Both women try to reconcile their problematic family lives – Olivia’s issues with her teenage children, Lauren’s collapsing marriage – with the demands of a job that requires heart and soul. Their beat is a decaying coastal town in the south of England – a shadow of its Victorian glory – and criminals are lurking even where you’d least expect them. As Olivia and Lauren investigate a harrowing murder, the events of the case spiral – and so do the issues in their personal lives … **

About the Author

Andrea Frazer is married with four grown-up children, and lives in the Dordogne with her husband Tony and their six cats. She has wanted to write since she first began to read at the age of five, but has previously been busy raising a family and working as a lecturer in Greek (she has a Fellowship Diploma in Greek) and teaching music. Apart from writing, Andrea continues to teach music, and now also teaches French to expatriates. Her interests include playing several instruments, reading, and choral singing with two choirs.