"I should warn you that it is not a pretty story."

"Stories about murder rarely are."

Nobody knows who started the rumour that James McGrath murdered his wife Rosamund. Certainly no one had seen her in a while, and she had gone off to visit a sick cousin without mentioning a trip to the neighbours. Still, everyone was inclined to accept the story - that is, until one of the neighbours meets the cousin in town, in excellent health and eager for news of country cousin Rosamund. Tessa Crichton, a guest in the Oxfordshire locale, is fascinated by this series of events. Fascination soon turns to a neat bit of detection when someone comes to her with a very strange confession.

Dipping into the case with relish, Tessa soon suspects there's murder mixed up in the mystery. But until she comes up with a body - or two - no killer can get just deserts.

Murder Post-Dated was originally published in 1983. This new edition features an introduction and afterword by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans.

'The fun lies in the style, light and sweet as a soufflé." Daily Telegraph