A cozy medical mystery · coming soon
Elderberry Cove
In a town this polite, the most dangerous thing you can do is ask a question.
Get a letter when it arrives
The kettle is already on.
The trouble with a peaceful death
Book one · publication date announced to the list first
Dr. Evelyn Thorn came to Elderberry Cove for the quiet — a small practice, salt air, and the blessed anonymity of a village where the modern world feels like a distant rumour. What she finds instead is a body.
Old Arthur dies in his sleep with a strange, peaceful smile, and the whole town is only too happy to call it a gentle end. But Evelyn's trained eye catches what the cobblestones and blooming lavender are meant to hide: no man should look that content to be dead. The moment she starts asking questions, the Cove's famous good manners curdle into something colder — doors ease shut, records go missing, and a smooth-talking developer dangles a ruinous malpractice suit to make her look the other way.
Because in Elderberry Cove, "pleasantries first, problems later" was never charm. It's a wall — built thirty years ago around a secret the town would see left undisturbed.
Evelyn moved here to find peace and quiet. Now the only way to the truth runs straight through the sanctuary — and the neighbours — she's come to love.
For readers who like their mysteries with a proper pot of tea: closed doors, warm hearts, no gore, and a puzzle that plays fair to the last page.
Letters from the Cove
Once a month, a letter from Barnaby: how the book is coming along, a photograph or two of the real harbours and hedgerows behind the Cove, and the release date before it's announced anywhere else.
No noise, no spoilers — just a letter.
About one letter a month, and always worth the stamp. Unsubscribe whenever you like. Your email goes to Kit; here's what happens to it.
Meet Barnaby
Barnaby Sterling spent thirty-five years as an English teacher before turning his lifelong love of storytelling into a professional pursuit in retirement. Drawing on decades of experience with language and narrative, he crafts charming, intricate puzzles designed to keep readers guessing until the very last page.
He lives on the rugged coast, where he enjoys long walks with his dog and settling in with a warm cup of tea to watch classic detective shows whenever the coastal storms roll in.
The villages, harbours, and windswept paths in his books are stitched together from real places. He photographs them as he goes — you'll find them in Notes from the Cove.
Notes from the Cove
A letter-sized post most months — photographs from the real places behind the book, and news from the writing desk.
