Peril on the Page by Margaret Loudon (English) Paperback Book

Description: Peril on the Page by Margaret Loudon A murder in her quaint British bookshop drops American Gothic novelist Penelope Parish into her deadliest caper yet.Penelope Parish is ready to close the book on her amateur sleuthing-from now on, The Open Books writer-in-residence will be sticking to villains of the fictional variety while she puts the final touches on her new novel. But when an author is murdered inside the bookshop, all of Upper Chumley-on-Stoke goes on high alert.Now its up to Pen and the quirky citizens of Chumley to stop a killer and protect the charming British town shes begun to call home. FORMAT Paperback LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Author Biography Margaret Loudon is the national bestselling author of the Farmers Daughter Mysteries, the Cranberry Cove Mysteries, and the Gourmet De-Lite Mysteries, written under the name Peg Cochran. She also wrote the Sweet Nothings Lingerie Mysteries under the name Meg London. Review Praise for Margaret Loudon "You wont want to miss new amateur sleuth Penelope Parish as she travels across the pond to the Open Book Bookstore in Merrie Old England. Margaret Loudon has penned an irresistible cozy mystery that will delight your imagination and introduce you to a cast of interesting and quirky characters."—Paige Shelton, New York Times bestselling author on Murder in the Margins "As if ivy-covered cottages, a cozy bookstore, and a quaint teashop werent charming enough, the Open Book Mysteries also feature a dashing detective, an eligible Duke, and a host of smart, sassy women. Pure bliss!"—New York Times bestselling author Ellery Adams "A bookshop, lots of tea, a pub, and an English village filled with quirky characters—Margaret Loudons Murder in the Margins has all the ingredients for a delightful read!—Marty Wingate, USA Today bestselling author of The Bodies in the Library "Delightfully unpredictable characters, a charming sleuth, and a touch of romance enhance this sophomore entry."—Kirkus Reviews on A Fatal Footnote "Book stores and tea rooms and castles in England. Village fetes, charming police officers, and handsome aristocrats. Tea and Cornish pasties and fairy cakes. A town named Chumley-on-Stoke. Plus a writer struggling with writers block. Whats not to like in this absolutely delightful new series by Margaret Loudon? I cant wait to see what Pen Parish and her friends at The Open Book get up to next."—Vicki Delany, author of Silent Night, Deadly Night Review Quote Praise for Margaret Loudon "You wont want to miss new amateur sleuth Penelope Parish as she travels across the pond to the Open Book Bookstore in Merrie Old England. Margaret Loudon has penned an irresistible cozy mystery that will delight your imagination and introduce you to a cast of interesting and quirky characters."--Paige Shelton, New York Times bestselling author on Murder in the Margins "As if ivy-covered cottages, a cozy bookstore, and a quaint teashop werent charming enough, the Open Book Mysteries also feature a dashing detective, an eligible Duke, and a host of smart, sassy women. Pure bliss!"-- New York Times bestselling author Ellery Adams "A bookshop, lots of tea, a pub, and an English village filled with quirky characters--Margaret Loudons Murder in the Margins has all the ingredients for a delightful read!--Marty Wingate, USA Today bestselling author of The Bodies in the Library "Delightfully unpredictable characters, a charming sleuth, and a touch of romance enhance this sophomore entry."-- Kirkus Reviews on A Fatal Footnote "Book stores and tea rooms and castles in England. Village fetes, charming police officers, and handsome aristocrats. Tea and Cornish pasties and fairy cakes. A town named Chumley-on-Stoke. Plus a writer struggling with writers block. Whats not to like in this absolutely delightful new series by Margaret Loudon? I cant wait to see what Pen Parish and her friends at The Open Book get up to next."--Vicki Delany, author of Silent Night, Deadly Night Excerpt from Book One Penelope Parish loved her position as a writer in residence at the Open Book bookstore in Upper Chumley-on-Stoke, England. She never knew what to expect. One thing she certainly hadnt expected when shed crossed the Atlantic and set foot on these shores was to be involved in a murder. So far shed been involved in two. But that was all behind her now and she could focus on writing her book and helping Mabel Morris, the owner of the Open Book. At least thats what she told herself. Today they were getting ready for a book launch at the bookstore. Stepping into the Open Book was like stepping back in time, with its low ceiling crisscrossed with wooden beams and the large diamond-paned front window. It was located on Upper Chumley-on-Stokes high street, where the storefronts were the original Tudor and all the shops had hand-carved wooden signs hanging out front. The book launch had been Penelopes idea and she had her fingers crossed that it would go off without a hitch. Mabel had been a bit skeptical at first, but had finally come around and was now as enthusiastic as Penelope was about the event. Odile Fontaine, an art teacher at the Oakwood School for Girls just outside Chumley, had written a book called You Can Paint and the book launch was being combined with a wine and paint party. The event had stirred up considerable interest, and a photographer for the weekly newspaper the Chumley Chronicle had phoned to say she planned to attend and take pictures. Odile was a member of the fiction writing group Penelope had recently started and was a teacher at the Oakwood School for Girls. The headmistress, Maribel Northcott, had invited Penelope to conduct a seminar for the students there. Penelope was quite pleased that her masters degree in Gothic literature was finally being put to good use. Of course that same degree had driven her to write Lady of the Moors, which, much to her surprise, had become a bestseller, so perhaps the money on her education had been well spent after all, in spite of what her mother was always saying. It was the writers block that shed been stricken with while working on her second book that had pushed her to apply for the writer-in-residence position at the Open Book, hoping that a change of scenery would spur some creativity. Life in Upper Chumley-on-Stoke, a medieval town about an hour from London, had worked its magic and Penelopes second book was due to be published at any moment. Pen was arranging a stack of Odiles books on a display table when Mabel approached her. Mabel ran a hand through the fluffy white hair that made her look more like a grandmother than the former MI6 analyst shed been. "Ive cleared a space for the easels to be set up," she said. She frowned. "They are bringing the easels, right?" "Yes. Odile is taking care of everything-the easels, paints, aprons for the participants, and the wine." Pen looked toward the bookshops tearoom, which was run by Lady Fiona Innes-Goldthorpe, or Figgy, as she was more familiarly known. "Figgy is providing some desserts-cakes and cookies, that sort of thing." Mabel nodded. "Good. Best to have something to soak up the wine." She looked around. "It appears as if everything is in order, then," she said, giving a relieved smile. The bell over the front door tinkled and Odile Fontaine, the subject of that evenings book launch, swept in. She was a fairly tall woman-although not as tall as Penelopes nearly six feet-big-boned, and had a purple beret perched on top of her head of long curly red hair threaded with strands of gray. She removed her cape with a dramatic flourish, sending it swirling in an arc around her that nearly toppled the sign on one of the display tables. She was wearing a bloodred skirt, which flowed around her ankles, with a purple tunic over it and a necklace of large mustard yellow beads that looked hand carved. Penelope took the cape from her and hung it on the coat stand near the front door. Odile had brought an almost palpable sense of excitement into the store with her as well as a whiff of cold air. It was mid-October and the Michaelmas term was underway at the Oakwood School. The leaves on the trees were turning and the residents of Chum, as the town was affectionately known, were digging out their cozy sweaters and boiled wool jackets. Odile swept over to Penelope and greeted her with an air kiss on each cheek. "Have you read my manuscript yet?" she said. An armload of silver bracelets jingled as she straightened one of her books on the display table. "Im hoping to send it off to a publisher soon." Not content to just publish a book on painting, Odile had taken up fiction as well and had penned a four-hundred-page contemporary romance. Penelope silently groaned. Shed been meaning to get to it and had actually read a few pages, but it was such a slog that shed given up and had spent the time wondering how she could persuade Odile to stick to painting instead. The door opened again, sending a chilly breeze through the shop that ruffled the pages of the flyers sitting out on the front counter. A young man stuck his head into the store. Odile glided over to him, her long fluid skirt swishing about her legs. "Ive got the gear," the young man said. "Where do you want it?" Penelope hastened to join them. She glanced out the window and saw a large van with the Oakwood School crest on the side double-parked in front of the Open Book. "Theres another entrance behind the shop," she said, and directed the young man to an alley that ran alongside the Open Book and led to a back door that opened into the storage room. "Cheers." The young man gave a sketchy salute, turned around, and hopped into the drivers seat of the van just as the driver of the car behind him began to lean on his horn. "Thats Grady Evans," Odile said, as the van pulled away. "He takes care of the grounds at the school and does odd jobs for Rodney Simpson, who is in charge of maintenance. I asked him to cart my supplies over here for me." The door opened again and a gentleman walked in. He had thick gray hair brushed back from his forehead in a wave and round tortoiseshell glasses. He was wearing a tweed coat with a velvet collar and leather gloves, which he pulled off as he walked toward Odile and Penelope. Odile smiled and put her hand on the mans arm. "Penelope, this is Quentin Barnes, my significant other, as the young people say." She smiled up at Quentin. "He teaches history at the Oakwood School." She turned to Quentin. "Quentin, this is Penelope Parish. This event was her brilliant idea." Pen crossed her fingers. She hoped her idea would turn out to be brilliant. "Will you be doing a painting?" Penelope said to Quentin. "Heavens, no. Im just here for moral support and to say good-bye." He gave Odile a peck on the cheek and glanced at his watch. "Unfortunately I cant stay long. I have a conference in Bristol that starts early tomorrow morning, so Im heading out tonight." He turned to Odile. "Ill be at the Bristol Harbor Hotel if you need to reach me." "Well, I hope you can stay for a bit. Ive got some of that wine you fancy." Odile took his arm and led him over to the display table where her books were piled up, waiting to be signed. A few minutes later Pen heard Grady knock on the back door and ran to open it. Grady sidled through the door with several easels tucked under his arms. He was tall and sinewy, with dark brown hair long enough to flop onto his forehead. He was wearing faded and worn jeans, a plaid flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and work boots. Penelope could see goose bumps on his arms. "You must be freezing without a coat," she said. Grady shrugged. "I left my jacket in the van. Im okay." He nodded at the easels he was holding. "Where do you want these?" "Weve cleared a space at the front of the store," Penelope said. "Righto." Penelope led him toward the area where she and Mabel had decided to hold the event. Theyd shoved some display tables out of the way to create a large enough space for the painting party. "Why dont you lean them against that table over there." Odile pointed to a spot. "You can help me set them up after you bring everything in." Grady nodded. "Ill go get the rest of the gear." He loped off through the store toward the back entrance. Moments later he came back with a handcart piled with cardboard boxes. "Lets have those over there," Odile said, pointing to a spot off to the side. "Now we can begin to set up the easels." Grady, who had briefly paused and was leaning against one of the display tables, reluctantly shoved off and began placing the easels according to Odiles instructions. "What do you have here?" Mabel wandered over and peered into one of the open cartons. "Paints, palettes, aprons." Odile ticked them off on her fingers. "And that last one there is the wine." She Details ISBN0593099303 Author Margaret Loudon Pages 320 Series The Open Book Mysteries Language English Year 2022 ISBN-10 0593099303 ISBN-13 9780593099308 Series Number 3 Format Paperback Country of Publication United States Place of Publication New York Publication Date 2022-03-01 US Release Date 2022-03-01 UK Release Date 2022-03-01 Illustrator Gladys Jose Birth 1927 Affiliation Clark University Position journalist Qualifications MD DEWEY 823.92 Audience General NZ Release Date 2022-03-15 AU Release Date 2022-03-15 Publisher Penguin Putnam Inc Imprint Berkley Publishing Corporation,U.S. We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! TheNile_Item_ID:134795489;

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