Following on from Gin and Murder, this is the second the Chief-Inspector James Flecker of Scotland Yard trilogy.

They Died in the Spring takes place one dewy April in the heart of England, in Bretfordshire, where a retired Colonel has been found shot dead.

At first, they think it’s an accident – the man’s body is found fallen in the woods with his shotgun close at hand — but gradually it becomes clear that this is a case of murder instead.

Colonel Barclay had recently announced his intention to plough over the local cricket field, land which he owned, and it stirred up the local villagers.

But is the destruction of a beloved cricket pitch motive enough for murder?

Especially when the Colonel was the type of person who made enemies easily.

When a young German house servant in the neighbourhood is also found dead, the case proves too much for the local police force, and Flecker is called in to assist.

Even with the help of Detective-Sergeant Browning, can Flecker get to the bottom of this case?

Praise for Josephine Pullein-Thompson

“A well-plotted, convincing murder mystery” – Thomas Waugh

JOSEPHINE PULLEIN-THOMPSON (1924-2014) was known in England for her pony books written primary for girls. She, her mother Joanna Cannan and her younger twin sisters Diana and Christine, wrote nearly 200 equestrian novels between them. The Flecker trilogy is Pullein-Thompson’s foray into crime.