A warm welcome to my guest this week, author Emma Davies. Emma is interviewing her character, Andie Summer, from her new cosy murder mystery series, The Mystery of Montague House.
Blurb:
With enough rooms to fill a Cluedo board several times over, Montague House has often been the subject of rumour and gossip. Tales of strange goings on, an owner who disappeared one day and was never seen again, not to mention the treasure that rumour has it lies at its heart… But now the present owner has died and the house is to be sold. Has the opportunity come to finally unlock the secrets of Montague House?
Auctioneer, Clodagh Wynter, doesn’t believe in ghostly goings on and tall tales of secrets. She has her feet very firmly on the ground and it’s her meticulous and methodical approach that will get results, not wild goose chases… She has a job to do after all…
Andie Summer, however, is a self-styled Finder of Things (dead bodies mostly), and hunting for hidden treasure sounds right up her street, even if there was something very fishy about the mysterious Mr Mayfair who hired her. Because it’s just like she said to her faithful basset hound, Hamish; I saw something out of the corner of my eye as I was leaving, and you know what that means. It’s never good news when I see something out of the corner of my eye…
But where did the rumours spring from? And why have parts of the house lain preserved and undisturbed for years? As if time has stood still…
As the unlikely pair are thrown together, it soon becomes very clear that they are not the only ones searching for the treasure. And they’re going to need all their ingenuity and resourcefulness if they’re ever going to untangle the web of secrets that surrounds Montague House. One that reaches even further than they ever thought possible…
From #1 International bestselling author, this new series of cosy murder mysteries introduces her fans to the indomitable Andie Summer and Clodagh Wynter, plus, of course Hamish, everyone’s favourite basset hound. Perfect for fans of Faith Martin, Clare Chase and Anthony Horowitz.
Buy link: smarturl.it/MontagueHouse
Reviews for the Mystery of Montague House…
“Have read all of Emma Davies other books, fantastic feel good reads, just love every one of them. So with trepidation I downloaded The Mystery of Montague House, not my usual genre. Wow just wow! I found I was holding my breath at one point and on another occasion put it down to recover myself, all for about 30 seconds because I couldn’t wait to see what happened next… brilliantly written with twists and thought provoking moments throughout. How can someone write books that are so different but amazing, I know, you need talent and Emma Davies has it by the bucket load! Enjoy, you will not be disappointed.” Amazon customer
“A mystery surrounds a Palatial House with a past, secrets and a treasure to find. Andie are Clodagh are thrown together to conduct a thorough search to find the truth, both having their own stories to tell. Suspense, intrigue and things that go bump in the dark, makes this book an absolute fantastic read! Finished within 24hrs which kept you guessing right till the end. And the best bit this is the first in a new series from the fabulous Emma Davies.” Amazon customer
“Such a wonderful mystery story. The introduction to Summer and Wynter was brilliant and kept me hooked til the very end. Engaging characters and a beautiful, creepy old house kept the story alive and there are some great twists. I can’t wait to read the next instalment.” Amazon customer
Now let’s move onto Emma’s Interview
I first meet Andie Summer a few weeks after their now famous solving of The Mystery of Montague House, a case that gathered quite a lot of attention, not least of all from my own paper, the Echo and Express. It seemed such a strange thing to happen in our little town, that all these secrets had been hidden for so long, right on our doorstep and we never knew. So I’m more than intrigued to meet one half of the duo that were responsible for cracking the case. I think it’s fair to say however that Andie Summer is not how I imagined her to be.
For starters she comes in with a large hairy dog.
I smiled across at her as she takes a seat, composing herself. ‘I had one of those break the ice kind of questions ready, you know, do you prefer tea or coffee? Dogs or cats? But in your case I can clearly see it’s dogs.’
Andie grins. ‘Sorry, but Hamish pretty much goes where I go. And he has been warned to be on his best behaviour, so no drooling on the carpet, no…’ She leans in towards me, ‘doggy smells… if you know what I mean.’
‘Yes, quite.’
‘I do have a cat as well though. Well, he doesn’t actually belong to me. I’m not sure he belongs to anyone really, not anymore.’ She gives me an amused smile. ‘He comes and goes shall we say.’
I smile again, looking down at my next question.
‘So, Andie, the obvious thing to ask is quite how you came to investigate the mysterious goings on at Montague House. Forgive me, but you don’t much look like a detective.’
She looks down at her tee shirt and jeans, ripped across one knee, scruffy boots completing the look. ‘Probably just as well,’ she says. ‘Who’d want to look like that? Anyway Mr Mayfair didn’t seem to have a problem with how I looked. He was the chap who hired me. Of course, I knew right from the start there was something very fishy about him, but I’m not supposed to say who he is,’ she says, mysteriously tapping the side of her nose. ‘But really that’s all there was to it. He’d seen my website, got in touch and Bob’s your Uncle, hired.’
I nod. ‘Ah yes, your website. It’s a little unusual if you don’t mind my saying. Could you just explain to our readers what it is that you do. I believe you call yourself a Finder of Things.’
‘Yes, that’s right.’
‘And so how does that work exactly? What sort of things do you find?’
She gives a nervous laugh. ‘Dead bodies mostly. Or rather they find me.’ She clears her throat. ‘It’s not an easy thing to explain,’ she adds. ‘But people get ‘lost’ sometimes and when they do they ask for my help in finding them.’
‘People?’ I clarify. ‘And by that you mean dead people, do you?’
‘Not always.’ She lifts her chin a little. ‘But what difference does it make? Dead people can need just as much help as living ones. Anyway, that isn’t all I do. I find other things as well.’
‘Absolutely. Just like the treasure that was hidden at Montague House.’
She nods, but seems reluctant to elaborate.
‘Well the story sounds fascinating, but I have to admit that your career choice is a little unusual. Perhaps not something that many people would think of doing. So how did that come about? Was it something your parents encouraged you to do?’
She looks startled at that. ‘My parents?’ she asks. What does that have to do with anything?
‘Nothing really. But you’re obviously very young and––’
‘I’m twenty five.’
‘Are you? Oh, you don’t look it.’ And she doesn’t. With her bleached cropped hair and petite features she seems much younger somehow. Perhaps it’s the air of vulnerability she wears. ‘Sorry, that was meant as a compliment. I just wondered how you ended up in that line of work? Being as it’s so unusual.’
‘My parents aren’t around actually,’ she says, leaning forward. ‘Although you won’t put that in will you?’ she asks. ‘Only I don’t like to talk about it.’
‘No, no,’ I reassure her. ‘No need for details.’ I wait for her to elaborate, but she clearly isn’t going to. ‘So you just fell into did you? I’m just trying to establish how you might start working in that field you see. I’m sure our readers will be interested.’
But she all but glares at me won’t say anymore, so I try a different tack.
‘Anyway you must be very pleased at the outcome of the case. Has it lead to a huge increase in business for you?’
‘Not really,’ she replies. ‘It doesn’t really happen that way… The police contact me sometimes if they need help with something but otherwise, well, things just turn up. Mysteries don’t just appear because there’s someone to solve them, do they?’
‘No, I guess not.’ I’m rather at loss for what to ask next. Andie doesn’t seem to want to talk about the things I thought she would. ‘So what’s next?’ I ask.
She looks surprised and I get the feeling that she actually doesn’t know.
‘I play the violin,’ she blurts out. ‘If you want to know something interesting about me. And my favourite chocolate bar is a Snickers.’
I refer to my notes. ‘Yes, I saw that on your website.’ Ten interesting things about me, I think she called it. ‘I thought I’d probably just add those things in my introduction to the article I say.
‘Oh right…’ She looks around her. ‘So is that it then?’
Intrigued? Want to find out what happens? You can grab a copy of the ‘Mystery of Montague House’ here:
Buy link: smarturl.it/MontagueHouse
Meet Emma
Bio:
After a varied career, Emma Davies once worked for a design studio where she was asked to provide a fun and humorous (and not necessarily true) anecdote for their website. She wrote the following: ‘I am a bestselling novelist currently masquerading as a thirty something mother of three.’ Well the job in the design studio didn’t work out but she’s now a forty something mother of three and is happy to report the rest of her dream came true.
After many years as a finance manager she now writes full time, and is far happier playing with words than numbers. She lives with her husband, three children, and two guinea pigs in rural Shropshire where she writes in all the gaps in between real life.
Contact links:
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Lovely to talk to you today, Emma. Wishing you many sales.
Preorder now:
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Karen King: Author 