{"title":"A Melissa Craig Mystery","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"melissa-craig-mystery-12-books-collection-set-betty-rowlands-fiction-paperback","title":"Melissa Craig Mystery by Betty Rowlands 12 Books Collection Set - Fiction - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTitles in This Set\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMurder at Hawthorn Cottage\u003cbr\u003e\nMurder in the Morning\u003cbr\u003e\nMurder on the Clifftops\u003cbr\u003e\nMurder at the Manor Hotel\u003cbr\u003e\nMurder on a Winter Afternoon\u003cbr\u003e\nMurder in the Orchard\u003cbr\u003e\nMurder at Larkfield Barn\u003cbr\u003e\nMurder in Langley Woods\u003cbr\u003e\nMurder at Benbury Brook\u003cbr\u003e\nMurder at the Old House\u003cbr\u003e\nMurder in the Dining Room\u003cbr\u003e\nMurder in a Country Garden\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDetails\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCondition: Brand New\u003cbr\u003eFormat: Paperback\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Bookouture\u003cbr\u003eAge Range: Adult\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOverview\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis complete twelve-book Melissa Craig Mystery collection gathers Betty Rowlands' beloved Cotswolds cozy mystery series in one paperback set. Melissa Craig is a crime novelist who trades city life for a quiet cottage in rural Gloucestershire, only to find village life far from peaceful. Across a dozen page-turning cases, she pairs a writer's eye for detail with sharp deduction to unravel murders hiding behind idyllic hedgerows, country manors, and orchard walls. Fans of gentle, character-driven whodunits in the tradition of Agatha Christie will find a warm, witty heroine and a richly drawn English countryside worth revisiting.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Books\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBetty Rowlands introduced Melissa Craig in the early 1990s as a London copywriter turned crime novelist who trades city stress for a crumbling cottage in the Cotswolds. What begins as a fresh start quickly turns eventful, as Melissa discovers that her adopted village harbors just as many secrets, grudges, and dangerous liaisons as any city street. Over the course of twelve novels, she settles into local life, takes on a teaching post, navigates community politics, and keeps finding herself first on the scene when tragedy strikes. Rowlands builds each mystery around a distinct Cotswolds backdrop, from artists' retreats on windswept clifftops to manor house theatricals, snowy winter lanes, working farms, and quiet country gardens. Melissa's instinct for asking the right question, combined with her novelist's habit of noticing what others overlook, makes her a natural amateur sleuth, and her network of friends, neighbors, and eventually a police detective grows alongside her reputation as the woman who always finds the truth. The series has drawn frequent comparisons to Agatha Christie's Miss Marple for its blend of cozy village charm and genuinely clever plotting, and its recurring cast gives long-time readers a sense of coming home with every new case. This set brings all twelve novels together in their original reading order, making it an ideal way to experience Melissa's evolution from cautious newcomer to trusted village detective from the very first mystery through to the last.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKey Benefits\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eComplete 12-book Melissa Craig Mystery series in one collection, read in order without hunting for individual titles\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eClassic cozy mystery style in the tradition of Agatha Christie and Miss Marple, with clever plotting and gentle suspense\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBrand new paperback set, perfect for building a dedicated shelf or passing along to a fellow mystery fan\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCharming, varied Cotswolds settings—from cottages and manor houses to orchards and country gardens—keep every case fresh\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA satisfying gift for cozy mystery lovers, birthdays, holidays, or as a thoughtful book club pick\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIdeal for readers who enjoy character-driven detective fiction with low violence and high intrigue\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBook-by-Book Guide\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMurder at Hawthorn Cottage — Melissa Craig settles into her new life in an old crumbling Cotswolds cottage just as a disturbing discovery shatters the peace.\u003cbr\u003e\nMurder in the Morning — Newly settled into a village teaching position, Melissa finds village routine upended by a shocking crime close to home.\u003cbr\u003e\nMurder on the Clifftops — A pleasant stroll at an artists' retreat in the mountains turns to tragedy, drawing Melissa into a web of secrets among the guests.\u003cbr\u003e\nMurder at the Manor Hotel — Rehearsals for a village play at a grand countryside manor are interrupted by a death that exposes long-hidden tensions among the cast.\u003cbr\u003e\nMurder on a Winter Afternoon — During her first snowy Cotswolds winter, Melissa's brisk country walks lead her straight into a fresh and puzzling case.\u003cbr\u003e\nMurder in the Orchard — A tranquil orchard property becomes the scene of a shocking crime, forcing Melissa to look past its peaceful, birdsong-filled surface.\u003cbr\u003e\nMurder at Larkfield Barn — As spring arrives on the farm, bright mornings give way to a troubling death that Melissa cannot ignore.\u003cbr\u003e\nMurder in Langley Woods — A body found near a picture-perfect Cotswolds village sends Melissa searching for a killer hiding behind a friendly facade.\u003cbr\u003e\nMurder at Benbury Brook — Beside a babbling brook and autumn woodland, Melissa uncovers a crime rooted in old grudges and quiet village rivalries.\u003cbr\u003e\nMurder at the Old House — As spring returns to the Cotswolds, Melissa is drawn into a case involving a historic house and its guarded secrets.\u003cbr\u003e\nMurder in the Dining Room — With summer settling over the village, Melissa's contentment is disrupted by a death that hits close to her own circle of friends.\u003cbr\u003e\nMurder in a Country Garden — In the village of Upper Benbury, a seemingly perfect country garden conceals a motive dark enough for murder.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBetty Rowlands began writing in her mid-sixties after winning the Sunday Express and Veuve Clicquot Crime Short Story of the Year competition, proving it is never too late to start a new career. She went on to create two beloved cozy mystery series: the Melissa Craig Mysteries, set in her own beloved Cotswolds, and the thirteen-book Sukey Reynolds series, following a Scenes of Crime Officer turned detective. Rowlands lived in the Cotswolds and later Bristol, and continued hearing from devoted fans into her nineties, passing away in July 2020.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhy You'll Love This Set\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTwelve complete Cotswolds mysteries in one brand new paperback collection, perfect for a cozy weekend read, a thoughtful birthday gift, a holiday season stocking stuffer, or filling out a book club's shelf of classic English cozy whodunits. It's an easy way to gift an entire beloved series at once.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePlease Note: This is the UK edition with the ISBN as listed; the cover may vary slightly from the image shown.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Betty Rowlands","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57172340867446,"sku":"MAN-LOWPLEX-RVS-U251320-9124283827","price":42.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0575\/6587\/2211\/files\/melissa-craig-mystery-betty-rowlands-paperback.jpg?v=1785838074"}],"url":"https:\/\/skymartbooks.com\/collections\/a-melissa-craig-mystery.oembed","provider":"Skymart Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}