ANN SUTTON
Cozy Mystery Author
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THE BOOKS
The trick is to create a sleuth you want to visit over and over again. I hope you find that Dodo Dorchester is such a character. Unlucky in love but adept at solving crime, she navigates the world of high society with graceful intelligence and panache.
Murder at Farrington Hall
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The Honorable Lady Dorothea Dorchester - Dodo to her friends - and her sister Lady Diantha, are invited to a fun weekend party at Farrington Hall. The weekend begins with a lot of promise until disaster strikes. A theft leads to murder and Dodo is called upon by her hosts to help the police, who are less than happy to have an amateur interfering. Can she win them over and solve the crime?
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Murder is Fashionable
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Stylish Dodo Dorchester is a well-known patron of fashion. Hired by the famous Renee Dubois to support her line of French designs, she travels between Paris and London frequently. Arriving for the showing of the Spring 1923 collection, Dodo is thrust into her role as an amateur detective when one of the fashion models is murdered. Working under the radar of the French DCJP Inspector Roget, she follows clues to solve the crime. Will the murderer prove to be the man she has fallen for?
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Murder at the Races
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No stranger to the world of horse racing, Dodo Dorchester is thrilled by an invitation to Ascot that includes an audience with the king and queen. Unfortunately, one of the members of Dodo's party is murdered which brings Chief Inspector Blood to the scene. Sparks fly as they follow clues to solve the crime.
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Murder on the Moors
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​When all you want is to run away and nurse a broken heart but murder comes to visit.
Lady Dorothea Dorchester, Dodo, flees to her cousins’ estate in Dartmoor in search of peace and relaxation after her devastating break-up with Charlie and the awkward attraction to Chief Inspector Blood that caused it.
Horrified to learn that the arch-nemesis from her school days, Veronica Shufflebottom, has been invited, Dodo prepares for disappointment. However, all that pales when one of the guests disappears after a ramble on the foggy moors. Presumed dead, Dodo attempts to contact the local police to report the disappearance only to find that someone has tampered with the ancient phone. The infamous moor fog is too thick for safe travel and the guests are therefore stranded.
Can Dodo solve the case without the help of the police before the fog lifts?
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Murder at Limehouse
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​Aristocratic star she may be, but when her new love’s sister is implicated in a murder, Dodo Dorchester rolls up her designer sleeves and plunges into the slums of London.
Dodo is back from the moors of Devon and diving into fashion business for the House of Dubois with one of the most celebrated department stores in England, while she waits for a call from Rupert Danforth, her newest love interest.
Curiously, the buyer she met with at the store, is murdered that night in the slums of Limehouse. It is only of passing interest because Dodo has no real connection to the crime. Besides, pursuing the promising relationship that began in Devon is a much higher priority.
However, fate has a different plan. Rupert’s sister, Beatrice, is arrested for the murder of the very woman Dodo conducted business with at the fashionable store. Now she must solve the crime to protect the man she is fast falling in love with.
Can she do it before Beatrice is sent to trial?
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Murder on Christmas Eve
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Dodo is invited to meet Rupert’s family for Christmas. What could possibly go wrong?
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Fresh off the trauma of her last case, Dodo is relieved when Rupert suggests spending Christmas with his family at Knightsbrooke Priory.
The week begins with such promise until Rupert’s grandmother, Adelaide, dies in the middle of their Christmas Eve dinner. She is ninety-five years old and the whole family considers it an untimely natural death, but something seems off to Dodo who uses the moment of shock to take a quick inventory of the body. Certain clues bring her to draw the conclusion that Adelaide has been murdered, but this news is not taken well.
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With multiple family skeletons set rattling in the closets, the festive week of celebrations goes rapidly downhill and Dodo fears that Rupert’s family will not forgive her meddling. Can she solve the case and win back their approval?
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Murder on the Med
An idyllic Greek holiday. A murdered ex-pat. Connect the victim to your tourist party, and you have a problem that only Dodo can solve.
Dodo’s beau, Rupert, is to meet the Dorchesters for the first time on their annual Greek holiday. He arrives in Athens by train and her family accept him immediately. But rather than be able to enjoy private family time, an eclectic group of English tourists attach themselves to the Dorchesters, and insist on touring the Parthenon with them.
Later that night, a body is found in the very area they had visited and when Dodo realizes that it is the woman she saw earlier, near the hotel, staring at someone in their group, she cannot help but get involved. The over-worked and under-staffed local detective is more than happy for her assistance and between them they unveil all the tourists’ dirty secrets.
With help from Rupert and Dodo, can the detective discover the murderer and earn himself a promotion?
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Murder Spoils the Fair
A high profile national fair, a murdered model. Can Dodo solve the crime before it closes the fair?
The historic British Empire Fair of 1924 is set to be officially opened by the king at the new Wembley Stadium and Lady Dorothea Dorchester, Dodo, has an invitation.
The whole fair is an attempt to build morale after a devastating World War and the planning and preparation have been in the works for years. So much is riding on its success.
The biggest soap maker in England has been offered the opportunity to host a beauty exhibit and after a nationwide search for the ten most beautiful girls in Britain, they build an extravagant ‘palace’ that will feature live models representing famous women of history, including one who will represent today’s modern woman. Dodo has succeeded in winning the bid to clothe Miss 1924 with fashions from the House of Dubois for whom she is a fashion ambassador.
But the fair has hardly begun when disaster strikes. One of the models is murdered. Can Dodo find the murderer before the bad PR closes the fair?
Death at a Christmas Party
A merry Christmas party with old friends. A dead body in the kitchen. A reluctant heroine. Sounds like a recipe for a jolly festive murder mystery!
It is 1928 and a group of old friends gather for their annual Christmas party. The food, drink and goodwill flow, and everyone has a rollicking good time.
When the call of nature forces the accident-prone Percy Pontefract up, in the middle of the night, she realizes she is in need of a little midnight snack and wanders into the kitchen. But she gets more than she bargained for when she trips over a dead body.
Ordered to remain in the house by the grumpy inspector sent to investigate the case, Percy stumbles upon facts about her friends that shake her to the core and cause her to suspect more than one of them of the dastardly deed.
Finally permitted to go home, Percy tells her trusty cook all the awful details. Rather than sympathize, the cook encourages her to do some investigating of her own. After all, who knows these people better than Percy? Reluctant at first, Percy begins poking into her friends’ lives, discovering they all harbor dark secrets. However, none seem connected to the murder…at first glance.
Will Percy put herself and her children in danger before she can solve the case that has the police stumped?
Death at a Christmas Party is Book 1 in the new Percy Pontefract Historical Cozy Mystery Series.
Murder Takes a Swing
High stakes, dark secrets, murder and mayhem. Can Dodo find the killer of Rupert’s polo teammate without endangering their love in the process?
In Murder Takes A Swing, Dodo Dorchester finds herself drawn deep into the glamorous world of polo when one of her beaus’ teammates is found murdered the night after their victorious first game of the season.
With the sport of kings as its backdrop, this gripping and unputdownable page-turner will keep you on the edge of your seat as Rupert’s friends and teammates become the prime suspects in this deadly game of hidden secrets.
Dodo must use her wits to untangle a web of deceit and betrayal that threatens to unravel everything Rupert thought he knew about his friends. Will she be able to solve the case before the killer strikes again? Can their developing relationship endure the strain?
Full of charm, and suspense, this delightful 1920s cozy mystery will transport you back in time to a world of adventure, and danger, keeping you on the edge of your seat until the very last twist.
Perfect for fans of classic murder mystery novels and historical whodunnits, this is a book you won't want to miss. So, grab your mallet and join the game – the stakes are high and the secrets are deadly.
Death is a Blank Canvas
An invitation-only art exhibition. A rising star cut down in his prime. The only suspects, family and a handful of aristocrats. How will Percy navigate these treacherous waters to solve the callous crime?
In this gripping sequel, Percy Pontefract finds herself entangled in a twisted web of murder and lies that strikes painfully close to home, when her talented cousin is brutally killed as the curtain rises on his inaugural modern art exhibition in the heart of London.
The shadow of suspicion looms over everyone present; Percy’s colorful relatives and a number of enigmatic aristocrats. When circumstances thrust Percy into detection, she is soon caught up in a dangerous game of cat and mouse as she unravels the truth and concludes that the solution to the murder lies beneath layers of paint, privilege and pretension. She must rely on intuition and luck to avoid becoming the next victim.
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Set against a backdrop of the glamorous world of fine art and filled with a cast of eccentric characters, Death Is a Blank Canvas, is a rollicking good whodunnit that will keep you guessing until the very end.
Murder Goes Jazz
The hottest American jazz band, fresh from New Orleans. A clandestine party full of ‘bright young things’ in the middle of London’s East End. When murder kills the celebration, will Dodo catch the culprit before Scotland Yard? Or will she be the next victim?
When a legendary New Orleans jazz band arrives on Britain’s balmy shores to play at a clandestine jazz party in a deserted warehouse, Dodo is more than excited. But the jubilant atmosphere takes a dark turn when a shocking murder occurs right under her nose.
With her keen mind and charming demeanor, Dodo dives into the case, navigating through a labyrinth of clues, motives, and potential suspects. As the tide of suspicion ebbs and flows, Dodo must navigate the fascinating and cut-throat world of jazz before the killer strikes a haunting final chord.
Close the blinds, grab your favorite drink, and curl up with this fun, suspenseful Golden Age cozy mystery today!
Murder in New Orleans
Solving a murder in the Big Easy is anything but.
After an invitation to visit New Orleans from Miss Lucille Bassett, famous jazz singer, Dodo and company board a luxury ocean liner and head across the pond. The climate, the food and the culture couldn’t be more different from England and Dodo considers the whole trip a grand adventure.
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Enjoying her role as tourist, Dodo delights in a trip on a steamer down the Mississippi, a visit to an ancient smuggler’s dwelling and the hustle and bustle of Bourbon Street. At the top of her wish list, however, is dancing at Miss Bassett’s famous jazz club.
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On their second day in Louisiana, a terrible murder occurs without any obvious motive. Lucille implores Dodo to take the case as gangsters abound in the Prohibition Era South and have the police department in their pockets.
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Dodo agrees but her sleuthing places a loved one in danger and she is torn between solving the crime for her friend or protecting those she loves.
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Curl up with this delightful, pager-turner of a whodunnit that will have you on the edge of your seat until the last chapter.
Village Fetes Can Be Murder
An old mystery, a murdered stranger and a notebook full of secrets turns a quaint village upside down with fear and suspicion.
At the reading of their mother’s will, the lives of twin sisters Imogen and Ophelia are changed forever. In addition to leaving them the family home in the quaint village of Saffron Weald, their mother’s last request is that they retire together in the cottage, Badger’s Hollow. Ophelia, a retired musician, and Imogen, a recently widowed mother of two grown children, jump at the chance since they are still in good health.
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Their arrival coincides with the annual village fete, and they readily agree to lend a hand with the tug of war. However, when they go to the supply tent to retrieve the rope, they discover the body of a visiting young journalist. Before the arrival of the hapless village constable, the sisters scour the murder scene and discover several clues including a notebook in the girl’s bag filled with detailed notes on the villagers including one that hits shockingly close to home. Intrigued, the discovery propels them into investigating the murder themselves, taking them on a journey fraught with suspicion, startling revelations, and danger.
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Will the sisters succeed in bringing the ruthless murderer to justice or will they become victims of a predator desperate to keep their dark secrets hidden?
Join these delightful and amusing elderly sleuths on their first detecting adventure and meet a whole cast of colorful and quirky characters.
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Fans of Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple will fall in love with the smart and sassy sisters in this delightful new series.
Church Choirs Can Be Murder
Murder in the church choir always strikes the wrong note.
Someone is stealing priceless, sacred artifacts from the church vault of the quaint English village of Saffron Weald. Ophelia, and her identical twin Imogen, are called upon to lend their sleuthing skills to discover the identity of the thief before the matter needs to be reported to church authorities, thus avoiding a scandal. But the investigation takes a sinister turn when a shocking murder occurs, thrusting the inquisitive sisters into a web of mystery and intrigue.
As they delve into the church's storied past, the suspect pool narrows to members of the church choir, and the twins face a perplexing puzzle: could the theft and murder be intertwined?
As Imogen and Ophelia follow a trail of cryptic clues with the help of their faithful dog, Tiger, they uncover secrets long buried, both within the sacred walls of the church and the confines of the ancient village. Yet, their investigation is hampered by the mysterious disappearance of a vital ledger, meticulously kept by the victim, detailing the church's priceless medieval treasures. With time running out, the resourceful twins must unravel the truth before the murderer strikes again.
Rich in 1920s historical charm and laden with suspense, the second installment of this best-selling series will keep readers on the edge of their seats. Join the delightful, retired twin sisters as they embark on this quest to uncover the dark secrets lurking behind the church choir’s harmonious façade.
Will they solve the murder and recover the lost treasures or will the mysteries of the past remain forever hidden.
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Book Clubs Can Be Murder
Will murder pen the final chapter of the newly minted village book club?
As winter's chill descends on the picturesque village of Saffron Weald, twin sisters Imogen and Ophelia find warmth among friends in the newly formed book club. However, the cozy literary evenings take a dark turn when a historic storm batters the countryside, leaving destruction in its wake – and the tragic death of one of their club members, which the hasty police blame on nature’s fury. But the sisters' instincts tell them there's much more to the story.
Armed with their innate knack for deduction, the help of their faithful dog Tiger, and the odd ride from their gorgeous French friend, Pierre, they embark on a perilous investigation. As the pair dig deeper into the victim’s past, they uncover a web of secrets, deception and betrayal stretching back to wartime London.
In a village where everyone seems to have something to hide, can Imogen and Ophelia separate fact from fiction before the final page turns on their own story?
Book Clubs Can Be Murder is a cozy mystery that proves even the most genteel of settings can harbor deadly secrets. Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie and Jessica Fletcher, this twisty tale of sisterly sleuthing will keep you guessing until the very end.