Mrs Charity Murphy is a good, God-fearing woman who, during her life, could be found each Sunday on her favourite pew at the back of the ancient, stone-built church in Castlebury Magna.
Why is it her favourite pew, you ask?
Well, it made slipping in and out of the service easier when she needed to, whether it was after greeting people at the door (always staying a little longer than strictly neccessary in case of stragglers) or helping a fraught young mother with her grizzling baby during the sermon, or trying to find the collaction plate yet again.
It had an unfortunate habit of going missing, particularly after the Scouts had been visiting. Charity always suspected that wicked, dreadful, half-feral Rathbone boy, but had never been able to prove anything.
But the *real* reason Charity Murphy loved that pew, right at the back of the church, was that from it, she could observe a snapshot of village life each week.
She could see the flirtatious looks, the angry glares, the startled reactions as a particular point in the sermon struck a nerve...
And Charity was good at putting all these things together and guessing people's secrets.
Secrets she then be put to good use.
Not that anyone was grateful, or understood that she was only acting for the best.
Quite the opposite, in fact.
Well, the village has gone to rack and ruin without her, and it's all... *someone's* fault.
If only she knew who. It was killing her to not know.
Well, it would be, if she wasn't already dead.
But which of the secrets she uncovered was worth killing for?
You can find out in The Phantom Murder, coming 7th July and available to preorder now :)
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