A Thorn in the Rose

'Downton Abbey turned murderous.' Paul Finch, Sunday Times bestselling author

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Kept me gripped from the first page' reader review

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Truly great stuff and unputdownable!' reader review

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'It kept me guessing!' reader review

A grand country house. A family full of secrets. And a body buried beneath the roses…

Post-war England. Lady Melinda 'Mel' Greenway has survived the horrors of war, but returning to her family's crumbling country estate, Avonby, brings troubles of a different kind.

A former army mechanic and the family's poor relation, Mel has never quite belonged among Avonby's privileged residents. But when she discovers a body buried in the rose garden, she realises that someone in the house has a deadly secret.

Everyone has something to hide. And someone will do anything to keep the truth buried.

As suspicion falls on the family and their servants, Mel is determined to unmask the killer. But the investigation brings her face to face with Inspector Derrin Bradley, the man she once loved and has never quite forgotten.

With old passions reigniting and dark family secrets coming to light, Mel soon discovers that the closer she gets to the truth, the more dangerous her position becomes.

Because someone at Avonby has already killed to protect their secrets. Will Mel be next?

Perfect for fans of Downton Abbey, Agatha Christie and gripping historical country house mysteries packed with secrets, scandal and murder.

'Samantha writes characters that I would love to play. Her Stories and dialogue are an actor's dream!' TV Legend, Frazer Hines

'Samantha Lee Howe writes like a dream...twisty, turny and not to be missed!' Pop Icon, Ayshea Brough

• Agatha Christie Meets Downton Abbey. For fans of The Mitford Murders and the Kate Shackleton Mysteries but reimagined with sharper emotional stakes and modern psychological depth. This is the start of a brand new crime series with repeat character Mel Greenway from bestselling author Samantha Lee Howe
• Samantha’s debut thriller, The Stranger In Our Bed (Feb 2020) rapidly became a USA Today bestseller, and has been turned into a feature film for USA, Canada, China, the UK, and various countries in Europe. It won Best Thriller at the National Film Awards.

"A Thorn in the Rose" was written by Samantha Lee Howe.

Samantha Lee Howe began her professional writing career in 2007 and has been working as a freelance writer for small, medium and large publishers ever since. She is a multi-award winning screenwriter and a *USA Today* Bestselling author.

Samantha’s breakaway debut psychological thriller, *The Stranger In Our Bed*, was released in February 2020 with Harper Collins imprint, One More Chapter. The book rapidly became a *USA Today* bestseller, and has now been turned into a feature film for USA, Canada, China, the UK, and various countries in Europe. It won Best Thriller at the *National Film Awards*.

Samantha lives in South Yorkshire with her husband, Historian, Writer and publisher, David J Howe and their cat Skye. She is the proud mother of a lovely daughter called Linzi.

Yes, "A Thorn in the Rose" is part of the "Mel Greenway Investigates" series. It's book 1 in the series.