A murder long buried. A play that won't stay silent

Twenty years ago, the first outdoor play at Briarley Estate ended in whispers, vanished actors, and a name the village never spoke again. Now, with roses blooming and rehearsals in full swing, the stage is set for a grand return.

But Annabel Lennox Deighton, literature professor turned reluctant sleuth, senses more than midsummer mischief. Newcomers with shadowy ties mingle uneasily with Little Firling locals, and a paper programme from 2003 resurfaces-bearing a name no one admits to remembering. When another disappearance rattles the cast, Annabel must follow the trail of half-truths, jealousies, and long-buried guilt to the orchard where it all began.

With her sharp eye, sharper wit, and the ever-watchful Persephone at her side, Annabel unravels a mystery where memory is unreliable, performance conceals betrayal, and the past insists on taking center stage.

Murder in the Open Air is the seventh novel in Belinda Chavremootoo's beloved Little Firling Mysteries-an atmospheric, character-driven series perfect for fans of classic village whodunits, layered secrets, and mysteries where the landscape itself remembers.