I’ve had worse days, but not in a while.

I lived my entire life in the Highlands of Scotland until one very ugly episode forced me to re-evaluate everything I thought I knew. To make a long story short, I moved to Wales at the suggestion of my Aunt Margot, who just happened to have a friend who was willing to hire me sight-unseen as a house manager.

To be honest, it’s not really a house. It’s actually a Norman castle, complete with a suit of armor, miles of hallways to explore, and even a crumbling wing where no one is allowed. My boss, Annabel Baines, became the owner when her first husband passed away. Until then the castle had always been in his family.

But I didn’t come here to talk about the castle. I’m here to talk about Annabel’s family. Specifically, her three sons. They’re visiting right now at her request, and two of them brought their wives. Normally this place is pretty quiet, but with five extra people here, several of whom are both vocal and headstrong, it’s not as peaceful as usual.

The reason Annabel asked her sons to visit isn’t peaceful, either. There’s something she needs to get off her chest. I’m not privy to the whole story, but I gather the “something” goes back decades to when her boys were children. And the boys don’t seem too keen to be here; it’s as if they can feel their mother’s unease.

The sons don’t always get along, and this visit has been no different in that respect. Oh, they don’t fight overtly, but I can sense the suspicion, the distrust, the tension, when they’re all in the same room.

But even that isn’t the biggest problem. The biggest problem is that one of Annabel’s sons, Andreas, has gone missing. He’s Annabel’s favorite and his wife is pregnant with Annabel’s first grandchild, so of the three sons he’s the least likely to pop off without telling someone where he’s going. I’m worried about what may have happened.

Rumor has it he and his wife, Sian, had a big fight last night. And though I can’t be sure, I have a strong suspicion that Andreas has been having an affair with one of the housekeepers. She doesn’t even try to hide her feelings for him. She’s been weepy and upset and Andreas’s wife lashed out at her just a little while ago.

My main concern, of course, is for Annabel. She’s been worried about her sons’ visit for weeks and now that they’re here her anxiety has only increased. She generally gets along with Sian, but she doesn’t like her other daughter-in-law, Cadi. I’m hoping things don’t come to a head between them.

The one bright spot in all of this? My cousin, Sylvie, is coming for a holiday. She’s supposed to get here tomorrow and I can’t wait to see her. I just hope all the drama in the castle doesn’t keep us from spending time together.

And I hope nothing has happened to Andreas. It’s only going to get worse around here if he doesn’t come back. . .

You can read more about Eilidh in Murder in Thistlecross, the third book in the “Malice” mystery series, coming February 27, 2018. The first book in the series is The House on Candlewick Lane.

The emerald hills and violet valleys of Wales seem the ideal place to start over after murder—and divorce—shattered Eilidh’s life in the Scottish Highlands. But within the stone walls of an ancient castle, a family’s dark, violent past threatens much more than her newfound tranquility . . .

For the past two years, Eilidh has called the quaint Welsh village of Thistlecross home, embracing her new life as estate manager of a restored fifteenth-century castle. But the long-anticipated arrival of her employer’s three estranged sons and their wives transforms Gylfinog Castell from a welcoming haven to a place seething with dangerous secrets. When the escalating tensions culminate in murder, Eilidh must sift through a castle full of suspects both upstairs and downstairs. She can trust no one as she follows a twisting maze of greed and malice to ferret out a killer who’s breaching every defense, preparing to make Eilidh the next to die.

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About the author
Amy M. Reade is the USA Today bestselling author of The Malice Series, consisting of The House on Candlewick Lane, Highland Peril, and Murder in Thistlecross, all of which are set in the United Kingdom. She has also written a cozy mystery, The Worst Noel, and three standalone novels of gothic suspense: Secrets of Hallstead House, The Ghosts of Peppernell Manor, and House of the Hanging Jade.

Amy is a recovering attorney living in Southern New Jersey. She is active in community organizations and loves reading, cooking, and traveling when she’s not writing. She is currently working on a contemporary mystery set in Washington, DC, a historical mystery set in Cape May County, New Jersey, and a second cozy. Connect with Amy at amymreade.com.

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