Transcript of a speech by DCI St. Just before the members of the Battlescove Women’s Institute.

Good evening. My name is Detective Chief Inspector Arthur St. Just of the Cambridgeshire Constabulary. Yes, Madam, the University town. Not far from here. You have a son in his third year at Peterhouse? Wonderful. Congratulations. I was also at Peterhouse. It was a very long time ago. I understand the food has improved.

My chief constable, unfortunately delayed on holiday in the French Riviera, asked me to address the ladies of the Women’s Institute in his stead tonight. What’s that? Women don’t like to be called ladies or madams anymore? Very well. I told the Chief I would be terrible at this. I’m a bit out of step with the times. He’s more of a. . . well. I’m sure he would say that his strong suit is community relations. Mine is investigating crime. Murder in particular.

I have been a policeman ever since leaving Cambridge. My parents didn’t understand why I would waste my privileged education on being a copper. But I was young and idealistic, and I wanted a job that would make a difference. If I’d known I would have wished for a job involving less paperwork but it must be said I feel that here and there I have made a difference and saved a few lives. Lives that would not have been saved and might even have been lost had I become a lawyer or a doctor.

What’s that? My most famous case? Well, I’m not sure we can use the word ‘famous.’ Sherlock Holmes had famous cases. I’m just a public servant. But the case that will stay longest in my memory is probably going to be my most recent case. If I were writing a novel about those strange doings, I would call it Death in Cornwall. I hope no one uses that title before I get around to writing the story. Although it’s much more likely my fiancée Portia De’Ath will pen the tale. She is a Cambridge don specializing in criminology but with a growing sideline in mystery crime writing.

Thank you, if you met Portia you would know why your congratulations on our impending nuptials are in order. No, we haven’t set a date yet. Crime keeps getting in the way. I just hope we can get through our wedding with everyone coming out of the church alive.

Anyway, Portia is a remarkable woman. It was she who was in fact instrumental in closing the Cornwall case. We were there on holiday, staying in a rental cottage in the village of Maidsfell, when a murder was committed. This seems to happen to me a lot. One time it was in Scotland at a writers’ conference. It was there I met Portia, as a matter of fact.

Anyway, I’m meant to be here reassuring you that the crime rate in the area has never been lower. We have the usual problems with street crime, some petty theft in the colleges, some complaints from tourists, lots of moans about parking and traffic. But I feel overall so long as I don’t travel far from the Parkside Police Station in Cambridge, all will be well with the U.K. crime rate.

Also I think—oops! If you will excuse me, I seem to have a call from Sergeant Fear on my mobile. I really must take this. I seldom hear from Fear this time of night. I hope it’s not another murder.

Thank you, ladies, for your attention.

Death in Cornwall, A St. Just Mystery #4
Genre: Traditional
Release: January 2022
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A humorous cozy set in the picturesque surroundings of Cornwall starring Cambridge DCI Arthur St. Just and his fiancée Portia De’Ath.

To celebrate their engagement, DCI Arthur St. Just and Portia De’Ath visit the quiet village of Maidsfell in Cornwall. Upon arriving they find the villagers in an uproar over plans to redevelop the local seafront.

The fishermen want to build a new slipway to aid their business, but many residents worry it will spoil the view for the tourists who help drive the economy. After a heated village meeting on the issue, St. Just overhears an argument involving Lord Bodwally – an unpopular aristocrat staunchly opposed to the plans. Later, Bodwally’s lifeless body is discovered. It’s murder.

Although Bodwally was disliked, who’d go so far as to kill him? St. Just, although an outsider from Cambridge, feels compelled to help local authorities investigate. Is Bodwally’s death linked to the seafront, his suspect business dealings, or a secret from the past? One thing is certain, the fallout threatens to change Maidsfell forever . . .

About the author
Agatha Award-winning G.M. Malliet is the acclaimed author of two traditional mystery series and a standalone novel set in England. The first entry in the DCI St. Just series, Death of a Cozy Writer, won the Agatha Award for Best First Novel and was nominated for Macavity and Anthony awards. The Rev. Max Tudor series has been nominated for many awards as have several of her short stories appearing in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine and The Strand. She lives with her husband on the East Coast of the US.

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