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Avon has landed a two-book deal with author, playwright and deputy headteacher of a primary school J M Hall.
The publisher acquired UK and Commonwealth rights to A Spoonful of Murder and one further crime novel from Mark Stanton at The North Literary Agency. It is slated for publication in March 2022.
The synopsis says: "A Spoonful of Murder follows three retired schoolteachers as they have their ‘coffee o’clock’ sessions at the Thirsk Garden Centre café. But one fateful Thursday morning, they bump into their excolleague, Topsy, during their weekly coffee and catch-up. By the next Thursday, Topsy’s dead. The last thing Liz, Thelma and Pat imagined was that they would become embroiled in a murder. But they know there’s more to Topsy’s death than meets the eye – and it’s down to them to prove it."
Cara Chimirri, senior commissioning editor, said: "From the opening lines of A Spoonful of Murder I knew this was an incredibly special book and I fell totally in love with our three amateur sleuths. I can’t wait for readers to meet Liz, Pat and Thelma. J M Hall has woven a tale full of humour, mystery, and deliciously wry observations on the quirks of everyday life. This is a book to savour and to press into the hands of friends when you next catch up for coffee and a slice of cake."
Hall said: "This book was written at a very difficult time for our family, the decline of our father due to dementia, and his eventual relocation to a care home. For me there was something in the writing process I found immeasurably comforting. Every morning for an hour or so before work I could lose myself in a world in which I was totally in charge of every detail, every shock, every last surprise. I'm hoping that this story will appeal to anyone who has enjoyed sitting with their friends in a cafe and speculating about the murky goings on of their neighbours and friends."