Bitter poison - Margaret Mayhew

The Colonel turns reluctant sleuth once more when tragedy strikes at a Christmas party, in Margaret Mayhew's latest atmospheric village mystery

Frog End, that most quintessential of English villages, is preparing for its annual Christmas pantomime. This year, it's Hans Christian Andersen's dark fairytale The Snow Queen. Local busybody Marjorie Cuthbertson is on the hunt for her leading lady - and who better to play the icy queen than beautiful new resident, ex-model Joan Dryden. But as interested as they are in their new neighbours, the residents of Frog End remain wary of the Dryden family, considering them aloof Londoners.

Mystery is about to engulf the village however when a cast member collapses and dies at a Christmas party, having consumed a rogue mince pie. Was the death an accident - or was it a malicious revenge strategy masked as an allergic reaction? The Colonel makes it his business to find out.