Hello, I’m Annie Parker, and I’m an actual, honest-to-goodness private investigator. Well, we call ourselves enquiry agents, but it’s the same thing…though it sounds a lot posher.

If you’d asked me five years ago what I thought I’d be doing with my life now, then I have to admit that living with a man who’s transformed my view on relationships in a pub in a Welsh village, and being a professional PI, would not have been anywhere on my list of possibilities. It’s not what you’d expect for the daughter of immigrants from St. Lucia who was born and raised in London’s East End, then worked from the time she was sixteen in the City of London. I managed to work my way up to be head receptionist for a firm of Lloyds’ insurers by the time I’d hit fifty, but I was happy to pack that all in, though – even then – this move to Wales wasn’t something I’d seen on the cards.

A normal day for me? Well, I wake up beside Tudor Evans, then roll out of bed, and give my attention to Gertie and Rosie, our two Labradors. Tude’s the landlord of the Coach and Horses pub in Anwen-by-Wye, and my partner in life. You might not have heard of the place, because it’s tucked away in the Wye Valley in mid-Wales, and it’s very small. But maybe you’ve heard of Chellingworth Hall? The Dukes of Chellingworth have been here since the fourteen hundreds, when Henry VII granted them a title and a lot of land. To be honest, I never imagined I’d know a duke and a duchess well enough that I’d be able to use their first names, but now I do…and all because of the WISE Enquiries Agency: we run our business out of a converted barn on their estate, you see. But, there, I’m getting ahead of myself…

My day? Up and at ‘em, usually, that’s me. The dogs drag me around the village green at some ungodly hour, then Tude and me have a bit of breakfast – he’s very good at cooking up a few sausages and some bacon, is my Tude – then I go to the office. If I can get a lift from Carol – she’s another agent, and a good old friend of mine – then I’ll take it, but she usually works from home, so she can look after her Bertie, who’s not yet two years old. Mavis will always beat me to the office: she’s in her mid-sixties now, and a retired army nurse; I suppose she’s the glue that holds us together, and she’s a bit frightening, to be honest. Christine’s usually last to arrive; she’s massively pregnant at the moment, though she lives upstairs from the office, so you’d think she could manage to be on time…but she rarely is.

Today we were briefed by a new client, and that means we’re all going to work in shifts to fill a watching brief…stakeouts, that sort of thing. Maybe I can get Tude to come with me, and then I won’t get so bored…or cold. Nothing much ever happens when you’re just sitting watching someone, but maybe it’ll be different this time…

You can find out just how “un-boring” the watching brief being carried out by the WISE women becomes when you read, THE CASE OF THE UNFORTUNATE FORTUNE TELLER, published by Four Tails Publishing Ltd. on 31st March 2025.

The Case of the Unfortunate Fortune Teller: A WISE Enquiries Agency Mystery, Book 11
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release: March 2025
Format: Print, Digital
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

‘A FORTUNE TELLER SUFFERING A SERIES OF ACCIDENTS? THAT CAN’T BE GOOD FOR BUSINESS…’

A fortune teller claims she’s being targeted by someone who’s out to harm her and retains the women of the WISE Enquiries Agency to gather evidence she can take to the police. But, when a body is discovered, Carol, Christine, Mavis, and Annie must scramble to rescue their professional reputations, because it’s clear that their client kept some critical information from them.

Meanwhile, Dowager Duchess Althea Twyst has invited an old friend from her youthful days on the stage to produce a pantomime at the village hall. With the lives of everyone in Anwen-by-Wye turned upside down by rehearsals, a series of thefts goes unnoticed for some time…until the WISE women put two and two together.

Also, with Christmas on the horizon, the Duke and Duchess of Chellingworth are looking forward to welcoming their extended family to enjoy the local celebrations. However, they find themselves quite unprepared for the bewildering situation that arises when Lady Clementine and her husband arrive.

Join the women of the WISE Enquiries Agency, and their fellow residents of the bucolic Welsh village of Anwen-by-Wye, as they get embroiled in yet more puzzling cases…as well as a chaotic Festive Season.

About the author
Cathy Ace’s Cait Morgan Mysteries feature a globetrotting Welsh Canadian criminal psychologist who solves traditional whodunits alongside her retired-cop husband, Bud Anderson (Eve Myles will portray Cait in the TV production by Free@LastTV). Her WISE Enquiries Agency Mysteries feature four softly-poached female PIs solving cosy cases from a Welsh stately home. Shortlisted for Canada’s Bony Blithe Award three times, winning once, Cathy’s also won IPPY and IBA Awards, as well as the CrimeFictionLover Editor’s Choice Award for Best Indie Novel. She’s been twice shortlisted for Crime Writers of Canada Awards. She migrated from Wales aged 40, and now lives in Canada.

Connect with Cathy at cathyace.com, on Facebook, on X/Twitter, and on Instagram.