Isabella Street is a talented composer and musical director with a passion for her craft and the drive to create something truly unique.
In The Hero’s Return, she embarks on her greatest triumph yet: celebrating the tercentenary of a local boy made good. But not everyone is happy with Isabella’s plans and one night in Coombesford Church, her preparations and rehearsals are brought to an abrupt conclusion.
Amateur sleuths, Charlie, Annie and Rohan must work together to uncover the truth behind the shocking events.
If you enjoy Agatha Christie’s classic whodunnits or are a fan of Richard Osman, Lisa Cutts or Frances Evesham, you’ll love this third book in the Coombesford Chronicles series.
Or contact the author to order a signed copy.
Carol A –
Ducie Does it Again.
Calamity at Coombesford Church is another winner. Once again, Ducie has captured the feel of Midsomer Murders in her English village whodunnit. This time, the residents are performing an opera. But the director, Isabella Street, has given everyone in the show a reason to hate her. Suspects abound. I think I had each of them named as the culprit at some point. Though I chose it as my bedtime read, it was hard to put down. Book 3 in the series is filled with familiar characters and a warm setting in a friendly, cozy village. Or is it?
Michelle O-D –
This cozy mystery was a fun fast read.
Calamity as Coombesford Church invited me to dive back into the little village that has been hit with yet another murder. I really enjoyed getting to know more of the characters and their secrets. This cozy mystery was a fun fast read and left me wondering what was going to happen next in the series.
Eleanor –
What’s not to like?
Rehearsals are well underway in Coombesford for a big musical production celebrating the return to the village of its great historic hero. But feelings are running high and there are plenty of suspects when a murder takes place.
I’ve loved all of Elizabeth Ducie’s books and this is no exception. The plot moves along at a cracking pace, there are plenty of clues, a myriad of red herrings and wonderfully rounded characters.
Looking forward to the next in the series.
Paul K Joyce –
Cozy fiction at its best.
Isabella Street is choir mistress for ‘The Hero’s Return’, an opera which seeks to bring together the residents of Coombesford. But harmony is not so easily achieved, and new voices challenge her authority and alleged plagiarism. There is a murder, and reluctant sleuths, Charlie, Annie and Rohan must once again combine forces to uncover the perpetrator. Readers of cozy fiction will enjoy this gentle and engaging drama set in the heart of south-west England, where village life is a indeed a microcosm for the wider world.
CG –
Perfect holiday read.
I loved the previous Coombeshead cozy murders and was really pleased to be able to take this latest one on my holiday. It was just the ticket. Compelling without being too complicated, but having enough twists and turns to keep me guessing. Who on earth would murder the musical director when the whole village is involved in the production? I particularly liked the musical backdrop to this third one in the series. Great characters – it’s always nice to revisit the lives of those met before, but there are new faces too. An excellent read. I enjoyed it lots.
Amazon Customer –
My favourite Coombesford mystery so far.
I loved reading this! Great to be reacquainted with some familiar characters and – living in Devon – the local geographical references added to my enjoyment (especially the fabulously-named refreshment van at Hound Tor!). The story is pacy with twists, turns and intrigue. I agree with one of the other reviewers – it was over too soon . . . I am looking forward to the next one already!
JeanG –
Another hard-to-put-down winner from Elizabeth Ducie and the village of Coombesford.
A murder mystery with an unexpected death in the local church and several possible culprits. Setting the story against the background of a local choir preparing for and performing their first important performance allows for character development at different levels – some members of the choir act in the same way as a Greek chorus would as they update us with local gossip and discuss the possible outcomes. It’s an enjoyable read, leaving one looking forward to the next in the series.
Jonathan Posner –
Get drawn in to the seething undercurrent of English village life!
I’m not a usual reader in this genre (apart from some Agatha Christies back in the day), so it was interesting to see how a well constructed cosy crime is set out. And this was very well structured from the start. It was fun to see how the victim managed to seriously piss off each of the villagers in turn, setting up the list of potential suspects. Then how new nuggets of information were dripped into the story as the book progressed – leading to the sleuth characters managing to piece it together at the end. There’s much to love in this slice of quintessentially English village life.
Amazon Customer –
An Intriguing Tale.
Having enjoyed the first two books in the Coombesford Chronicles, I was delighted when asked to read an advance copy of Calamity at Coombesford Church. For a start, I loved the title and the cover and couldn’t wait to get started. The story focuses on a musical production based on one of the villager’s ancestors, and not all runs smoothly, particularly when a murder occurs. As new characters are introduced, the author cleverly plants ideas in the reader’s mind as to who the villain might be, and I was kept guessing until the very end. It was good to be reacquainted with some of the characters from the previous books, particularly amateur sleuths Charlie, Annie, and Rohan, now joined by Esther. This is an intriguing and well-written book which I strongly recommend to all fans of whodunnits.
Welsh Annie –
A compelling read, an intriguingly layered plot – an absolute delight.
Having so enjoyed previous visits to Coombesford, it was so good to be back among its community again – with the focus this time on an impending musical production to honour a local hero, with composer and musical director Isabella Street firmly in control. Some of its participants are a little less confident though – a young and untried Welsh tenor who might not quite be up to the lead role, soloist Melanie severely doubting her abilities (despite the assurances of her globe-trotting opera singing partner), and professional lead soloist Amanda wondering why she ever became involved. And Henry’s last minute suggestion that the production should end with a procession and fireworks does go down rather badly.
And then there are all the behind-the-scenes complications too – and a few issues from the past making their presence felt. And when everything is brought to a stop with the discovery of a body, most certainly the result of foul play, there are quite a number of suspects for the police team and the local amateurs – Charlie, wife Annie, Rohan, and new recruit Esther – to attempt to disentangle.
A deliciously convoluted plot unfolds, along with discoveries and surprises that move individuals in and out of the frame – with such well-developed characters, a vividly drawn setting, and more than a touch of perfectly judged humour – as the red herrings rapidly multiply. The pacing is just perfect, the story so cleverly constructed – one of those wonderful stories where you become convinced you’ve worked everything out, only to find the rug pulled out from under you by the next revelation.
I did enjoy too the growing friendship (perhaps to become something more?) between Rohan and Esther (becoming rather a key member of the team), and the warmth of the relationship between Charlie and Annie – perhaps that’s the romance reader in me, and I found it a nice counterbalance to the intricacies of the investigation. But I must mention that you really don’t need to have read the previous books or have any familiarity with the recurring characters – this book would be every bit as satisfying as a standalone.
A really compelling read, an intriguingly layered plot that really keeps the pages turning, but with a lightness and warmth I found entirely delightful. Highly recommended – and I’ll be looking forward to my next visit.
GerCelt –
A hugely enjoyable read.
I’ve read the previous books in the series, so was really looking forward to returning to Coombesford, and this installment did not disappoint. In fact it may be my favourite to date. The setting has all the hall marks of classic British detective fiction – a church choir, a vicar, an array of parishioners, village life with all its hidden secrets, yet the author manages to make it fresh and modern. There are plenty of characters to like and dislike, a satisfyingly twisty plot and a believable, well written dynamic between the various factions in the village.
If you haven’t already, get stuck in to this series and enjoy!
Georgia Rose –
Excellent writing and a lovely setting.
It is a lovely thing to return to a book setting that you enjoyed so I was delighted to see that the third book in this series had been published. In a change to the last book, Villainy at the Village Store, where the body turned up very early in the story, in Calamity at Coombesford Church there is no murder until quite late on. I really enjoyed this as it showed a story being naturally told rather than a formula being followed.
There was still plenty going on as Isabella Street is putting together a production of The Hero’s Return which involves many of the residents of the village. There is therefore a large number of characters who could be either victim or murderer because, of course, we know a death is coming. I like the fact Charlie Jones, Annie McLeod and Rohan Banerjee are back on the case, and this time they have an addition to their crime solving group to make them the Gang of Four.
As always, the writing is spot on and the plot pacy so it comes highly recommended.
M Adams –
I’m really beginning to enjoy this series.
My only problem is the story was over to soon! I enjoyed the plot and didn’t guess who did it till the end. There were a couple of red herrings to make it interesting. Can’t wait for the next one to see how the relationships are developing.
Pam Keevil –
Cosy mystery at its best!
All aboard for another fabulous trip to Coombesforde where a village recital is jeopardised by the murder of the musical director. What follows is in true cosy mystery style; an array of suspects, all perfectly respectable, of course, a wild card or two to set us thinking and the gradual unfolding of clues leading to the solution, by the amateur sleuths, not the police.
All the Coombesforde favourites are there; people and places, plus the mouth-watering description of the food. But what I enjoyed most in this book was the pace. Following from the murder right at the start, the author takes the reader back in time over eight days and we are introduced to the possible suspects and the setup of the concert, with even more intrigue as personalities clash. There is plenty of time for the reader to assimilate all the information and enjoy getting to know the characters again. From then, the pace quickens until we get to the end. It was perfect! The ending also left me wanting to know more about the village and how the lives of the characters will develop. Hopefully, we won’t have to wait too long before there is another instalment of the ongoing story of Coombesforde village, its delightful setting and the array of characters.