A beautiful house nestles in an orchard, where a blackbird sings at dawn each morning from a branch laden with rosy fruit… but underneath the trees a body lies too still to be asleep.

Melissa Craig is struggling with her new novel, so when the invitation arrives to visit a nearby country house for some writing time, she decides a bit of peace and quiet is just what she needs. The house is everything she could have hoped for, even if the staff do seem rather unsettled…

She has barely unpacked when the owner of the house persuades Melissa to investigate some threatening notes he has received. But before she can do any digging, he is found murdered in his own orchard.

As she starts to probe further, Melissa realises that the dead man was universally disliked. Controlling, tight with money and nasty, he certainly made some enemies. But who could have hated him enough to resort to murder? His seemingly timid wife, the secretary with whom he previously had an affair or perhaps the gardener with an old secret?

With the police looking for an outsider, Melissa is sure the murderer is close at hand. But can she prove it? And can she unmask the killer before they strike again?

A completely unputdownable mystery for fans of Faith Martin, Joy Ellis and P.D. James that will have you totally hooked.

This book was previously published as Malice Poetic.

What readers are saying about Betty Rowlands:

'Hooked from the first pages… wonderful… fascinating, full of twists and turns… kept me guessing till the end.' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

'Brilliant… I read this book in one sitting and could not put it down. I would highly recommend this book to anyone.' NetGalley Reviewer, 5 stars

'An absolutely addictive, wonderful story. Loved it from start to finish. Great pace and a delightful setting, colourful characters and thrilling mystery. This was a brilliant story and I cannot wait for more!' Renita D'Silva, author of The Forgotten Daughter, 5 stars