The Cipher Garden

Review "Fans of the British village mystery who are very particular about setting should trek to The Cipher Garden." - The New York Times Product Description "Nearly every page yields new revelations in this delectable village caper." ―Publishers WeeklyWarren Howe is surprised by a hooded visitor while working in a garden in Old Sawrey, a lovely village in England's Lake District. Soon it is Warren who is dead―murdered with his own scythe. The police identify several suspects but lack the evidence to make an arrest.Years later, an anonymous tip sparks the interest of DCI Hannah Scarlett, who heads the local Cold Case Review Team. Warren's wife Tina is accused of killing her husband, although she had an alibi. Hannah's sergeant, Nick Lowther, involved in the original investigation, seems disturbed by her determination to look again at the old crime. And Daniel Kind, the historian, wants to uncover the secret of the strange garden at his own cottage. Enlisting the help of Warren's former business partner, garden designer Peter Flint, he is drawn into the mystery of the murder.Daniel and Hannah find old sins cast long shadows as they search for the truth. Then there is another horrifying death. Now Daniel and Hannah must piece together the clues that lead to a shocking revelation. But by the time the puzzle is solved, Hannah's life has changed forever. About the Author Martin Edwards is the recipient of the CWA 2020 Diamond Dagger Award for sustained excellence in his crime writing career and his significant contribution to the genre. His most recent novel, set in 1930, is Gallows Court. His seventh and most recent Lake District Mystery is The Dungeon House. Martin is also a well-known crime fiction critic, and series consultant to the British Library's Crime Classics. His ground-breaking study of the genre between the wars, The Golden Age of Murder, was warmly reviewed around the world, and won the Edgar, Agatha, H.R.F. Keating and Macavity awards. His The Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books has been nominated for five awards. A well-known commentator on crime fiction, he has edited 37 anthologies and published diverse non-fiction books, including a study of homicide investigation, Urge to Kill. An expert on crime fiction history, he is archivist of both the Crime Writers' Association and the Detection Club. He was elected eighth President of the Detection Club in 2015, is current Chair of the CWA, and posts regularly to his blog, 'Do You Write Under Your Own Name?' Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. The Cipher GardenBy Martin EdwardsPoisoned Pen PressCopyright © 2005Martin EdwardsAll right reserved.ISBN: 9781590582077Chapter OneWelcome to Paradise. Daniel Kind shaded his eyes against the sun as it streaked the surface of the reed-fringed tarn with gold. He'd taken refuge from the heat and hard labour. The garden bench stood in an arbour formed by the stooping branches of an old copper beech. The breeze ruffled leaves of a fragrant lavender bush, an orange-billed oystercatcher emerged from a tree stump, then vanished from sight. Even Paradise offered no escape from nettles or scratches by bramble thorns. His hands were stinging and blood smeared his forearm. Sweat glued his shirt to his skin. Hours spent digging out tree roots had left his body pleading for mercy. His spine yearned for the soft recesses of his battered leather armchair at Oxford, but the stone bench was cold, as if carved by a Puritan intent on deterring indolence. As he rubbed the stings with a dock leaf, his gaze travelled up the steep rise of Tarn Fell toward the straggle of fell-walkers on Priest Ridge. Heedless of pagan folklore, a young couple and their children were clambering on to a dour grey anvil outlined against the sky. The Sacrifice Stone. If he didn't start moving, his vertebrae might seize up. Bones creaking, he crunched over the gravel path that looped around the water's edge. Fronds of