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Alex Duggins Mystery
Series · 7 books · 2013-2021

Books in series

Folly book cover
#1

Folly

2013

Looking for a gripping murder mystery with a feisty female sleuth? Meet Alex Duggins in this addictive series from a bestselling author. PLEASE NOTE THIS BOOK WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED DIGITALLY AS “COLD” MURDER IN A BEAUTIFUL COTSWOLDS VILLAGE Following the breakdown of her marriage, Alex Duggins has returned to the village of Folly-on-Weir in the Cotswolds. She is starting again, buying the local pub in the area where she grew up. But on a wintery walk in the hills above Folly, Alex stumbles across a frosted corpse buried in the snow. The dead man has a dart piercing his neck. Then the questions start. And Alex finds herself top of the suspect list. Can she clear her name and find the real murderer? As she begins to peel back the layers of deception that have long concealed one of the town’s darkest secrets, she becomes the target of a ruthless killer who has nothing left to lose. Will Alex be the next snow-covered body to be found in the beautiful hills above the town?
Out Comes the Evil book cover
#2

Out Comes the Evil

2015

Second in the traditional British mystery series featuring rural inn owner and amateur sleuth Alex Duggins: an intriguing departure for bestselling romantic suspense author Stella Cameron. Once again Alex Duggins and her veterinarian friend Tony Harrison are thrown into a major murder investigation. An almost fresh body is discovered in a disused well among the ruins of a 14th-century manor house ... the motive for the killing a baffling mystery. The victim was a widow who had lived quietly in the picturesque Cotswolds village of Folly-on-Weir for the past ten years. Who on earth could want her dead, and by such brutal means? As rumour and speculation engulf the town, another woman is attacked - and Alex discovers that behind a tranquil face lurks a cunning and vengeful mind. Despite warnings from the police to stop interfering, she finds herself in the sights of a ruthless killer who has decided she knows too much ... The Alex Duggins series will appeal to fans of Louise Penny and Elizabeth George.
Melody of Murder book cover
#3

Melody of Murder

2016

The arrival of a talented, ambitious and unusual new family leads to mayhem and murder in the peaceful Cotswold village of Folly-on-Weir The idyllic Cotswold village of Folly-on-Weir, with its traditional pub, sumptuous tea rooms and fragrant bakery, is a piece of paradise found ... until 'those incomer Quillams' arrive. A young piano virtuoso and his neglected but talented half-sister, their controlling father, the pianist's beautiful, acquisitive and passionate mother, an ambitious family retainer, and an intimidating woman who has always run the Quillam household form a successful little empire - until it starts to crumble. The Quillams' arrival has also attracted the attentions of a sly, clever and perverted killer who desperately needs a jackpot and knows where to find one - if the obstacles can be removed. Once again pub owner Alex Duggins and her veterinarian friend Tony Harrison must use their wits and resourcefulness to prevent further carnage - and ensure that they themselves don't become the killer's next victims.
Lies That Bind book cover
#4

Lies That Bind

2017

Looking for a gripping murder mystery with a feisty female sleuth? Meet Alex Duggins in this new series from a bestselling author. A WOMAN’S BODY IS FOUND IN THE WOODS No one knows who she is or why she was left in such a dreadful state. Alex Duggins, owner of Folly-on-Weir's best pub, The Black Dog, is determined not to get involved—for once. But the person who found the gruesomely mutilated body was young Kyle Gammage, who helps out at Alex’s friend Tony's veterinary clinic. And she and Tony are reluctantly drawn into the murder investigation. To protect Kyle and his elder brother, Alex withholds vital information from the police. It's a misjudgement that will have far-reaching—and possibly fatal—consequences. Then one of them goes missing and what lies beneath is very dark indeed. WILL ALEX'S SILENCE PUT HER AND THOSE SHE LOVES IN DANGER? Perfect for fans of Faith Martin, Agatha Christie, J R Ellis, and Clare Chase. Stella Cameron is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author with over fourteen million copies of her books in print. MEET ALEX AND TONY People think Alex is the perfect girl-next-door, but she’s made of sterner stuff than most girls-next-door. Divorced pub owner and graphic artist, she meets challenges head on, especially when she decides to stand up for justice and the underdog. Alex is no stranger to trouble, never has been since she was a scrappy young girl with no dad, and a mum working around the clock to keep them together. Alex’s friend Tony Harrison is a vet—to the disappointment of his GP dad. A quiet man with a sharp wit and strong belief in the goodness of others, he has taken hard knocks, not the least of these, the loss of a young wife who disappeared, never to be found. THE VILLAGE A view of Folly from The Hill—as locals call it—is cause for a smile in any season. Let’s try December, early on a cold morning. Snow covers frozen twigs that crackle beneath your feet. The snowfall is only a fine swirl now. On a high point to the west stands ruined Tinley Tower, the folly the village was named for. Below, across the green with its frozen duck pond, honey-yellow cottages huddle. Thin smoke straggles from chimneys and lights shine through small leaded windows. Villagers wake early here. The Black Dog, Alex Duggins’ pub, sits at the heart of it all, strands of coloured lights shining along its eaves. George’s bakery van is already on its rounds, as is the Lovell’s Dairy lorry. It’s too early for the scarlet-blazered children to be climbing on the school bus, but dog walkers are already marching through the narrow streets and across the green. Idyllic. Deceptively so?
Whisper the Dead book cover
#5

Whisper the Dead

2018

Looking for a gripping murder mystery with a feisty female sleuth? Meet Alex Duggins in this new series from a bestselling author. WOULD SOMEONE KILL TO STOP THEIR BEAUTIFUL VILLAGE BEING BLIGHTED BY NEW HOMES? A new year arrives and winter holds the Cotswolds in its icy grip once more. But it's the construction of a new housing development that's causing the residents of Folly-on-Weir most concern. As she passes the site late one afternoon, pub owner and village sleuth Alex Duggins is confronted by the terrifying scene of a construction trailer on fire and a man desperately trying to break the door down. BUT WHAT THE FIREMEN FIND INSIDE IS FAR WORSE Alex and her friend Tony are drawn into a major murder investigation whose tentacles will reach right to the heart of the tight-knit Folly community—and into Alex's own past. CAN ALEX STOP MORE MURDER IN THE COTSWOLDS? Perfect for fans of Faith Martin, Agatha Christie, J R Ellis, and Clare Chase. Stella Cameron is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author with over fourteen million copies of her books in print. MEET ALEX AND TONY People think Alex is the perfect girl-next-door, but she’s made of sterner stuff than most girls-next-door. Divorced pub owner and graphic artist, she meets challenges head on, especially when she decides to stand up for justice and the underdog. Alex is no stranger to trouble, never has been since she was a scrappy young girl with no dad, and a mum working around the clock to keep them together. Alex’s friend Tony Harrison is a vet—to the disappointment of his GP dad. A quiet man with a sharp wit and strong belief in the goodness of others, he has taken hard knocks, not the least of these, the loss of a young wife who disappeared, never to be found. THE VILLAGE A view of Folly from The Hill—as locals call it—is cause for a smile in any season. Let’s try December, early on a cold morning. Snow covers frozen twigs that crackle beneath your feet. The snowfall is only a fine swirl now. On a high point to the west stands ruined Tinley Tower, the folly the village was named for. Below, across the green with its frozen duck pond, honey-yellow cottages huddle. Thin smoke straggles from chimneys and lights shine through small leaded windows. Villagers wake early here. The Black Dog, Alex Duggins’ pub, sits at the heart of it all, strands of colored lights shining along its eves. George’s bakery van is already on its rounds, as is the Lovell’s Dairy lorry. It’s too early for the scarlet-blazered children to be climbing on the school bus, but dog walkers are already marching through the narrow streets and across the green. Idyllic. Deceptively so?
Trap Lane book cover
#6

Trap Lane

2019

Although he has always kept his past carefully hidden, as the ever-reliable manager of her well-stocked pub, The Black Dog, Hugh Rhys has Alex Duggins’ total trust. However the unexpected arrival of two women from his past raises the fury of the usually even-tempered Hugh, threatens his carefully-crafted reputation and sends shock waves through the village. When a battered body is discovered in a deep pond near Hugh’s estate, Alex and her partner Tony are once again pulled into a chilling murder investigation. With Hugh’s odd behavior ensuring that he becomes the police’s chief suspect, Alex determines to prove his innocence. But she’s about to find herself walking a dangerous line, looking for a killer she may wish she had never found...
The Playing Fields book cover
#7

The Playing Fields

2021

When two bodies are discovered within six weeks of one another, it would appear that a serial killer is at large in the sleepy Cotswold village of Folly. Six weeks after a battered body is found in the grounds of the village cricket club, DCI Dan O’Reilly and his team are no further forward in the investigation. No witnesses, no leads, no clues whatsoever. Then a second body is discovered in the nearby tithe barn used by the local amateur dramatics society, artfully posed just like the first. Could there be a serial killer on the loose? When evidence leads O’Reilly to visit the Black Dog pub, owner Alex Duggins and her partner Tony are once again drawn into a police investigation. But Tony is dealing with some disturbing news of his own. Someone from his past has reached out and threatens all he holds dear. Are they who they claim to be, and what do they really want . . .?

Author

Stella Cameron
Stella Cameron
Author · 59 books

Stella Cameron is a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author. With over fourteen million copies of her books in print, Cameron is now turning her pen to mysteries and independently publishing COLD, Introducing Alex Duggins. She draws on her English background for this new, already critically acclaimed mystery series. Atmospheric, deeply character and relationship driven, COLD reveals the power of old secrets to twist the present. Cameron’s reputation for using her backgrounds to add tension and allure to her stories is heightened again. Cameron is the recipient of the Pacific Northwest Achievement Award for distinguished professional achievement and for enhancing the stature of the Northwest Literary community. She lives in Washington with her husband Jerry, her Papillon Millie, black cat Zipper, and a cheeky little tabby named Jack.

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Alex Duggins Mystery