It’s been one month since I, Josie Monroe, expat and piano teacher extraordinaire, left my adopted hometown of Austin, Texas and landed back where I started — England. Or, to be more precise, the picturesque village of Milkwood — thirty miles south of London, and forty years behind the rest of the great British Isles.

For a gal who’s been living in the US for twenty years there’s definitely been some acclimation issues. Of course, there was that pesky murder to deal with, but that was just the beginning. For one, I’ve had to get used to fighting my way into Andy’s Fish Bar each Friday for the best fish ‘n’ chips north of Worthing. Plus, I’m struggling to find a balance with my new found access to English chocolate — and quite frankly I’ll be struggling to fit in my clothes if I don’t curb my Cadbury’s addiction. And thirdly there’s my afternoon ritual of tea with scones, for which I refer you back to the aforementioned clothes issue!

Then there’s my local, The Dirty Duck, in which I seem to find myself three (okay, maybe four) times a week, stuffed into a booth with my gorgeous lodger, Peter, my newfound aunt, Daisy, and my best friend, Lord of the Manor’s daughter, sweet, beautiful and crazy as an armadillo on steroids, Lady Belle DeCorcy. If I’m really lucky my teenage crush, DI Adam Ward, will also be squished into that booth; holding my hand under the table and calling me by my childhood nickname of Puke — it’s a long story!

I am savoring every second of my new life and dread the end of summer when it will all come crashing to an end. Don’t get me wrong, there are things I miss about the US: my budgerigar, Horace, my dependable Toyota, and sunshine, or just days that don’t rain. But instead I have Elgar — the most cantankerous cat this side of Marbella, and Jenny, my irascible and temperamental Citroen 2CV, who has been known to reach the dizzying speed of sixty mph — if you’re heading downhill and the wind is in your favor. I am also the proud owner of a reliable pair of wellies, a dapper cagoule and an extremely snazzy umbrella. So, even with the unpredictable British weather I find myself well prepared and, dare I say, almost eager to splash around in the odd puddle or two.

So far my summer has consisted of playing Pooh Sticks over the Tillingbourne, lazy afternoons watching cricket on the village green and doing my best to avoid the Witches of Milkwood, who although not witches, per se, are one cauldron short of convincing me otherwise.

Mind you, it hasn’t been all dandelion and burdock. I’ve been threatened with a gun — twice, been charged by a feisty zedonk, and flashed my entire undercarriage to half of Surrey while stranded on top of a tall and uncooperative gate. There was also my unfortunate run of finding what appeared to be dead bodies every time I heard Puccini, but I’m pretty sure that’s over now.

Life has found its new normal. Daisy is baking, Peter is playing Mahler (badly) and Belle is hurtling around the countryside in Roger, her ancient MG, terrifying any pedestrian unfortunate to encounter her. And Adam? Well Adam is funny, smart and makes me happy, and that’s good enough for me. My plan is to enjoy a long, boring, nothing to see here, summer. Of course, even the best laid plans have been known to go awry!

The Puccini Connection is an English cozy murder mystery novel, released July 2020.

An idyllic English village, a lovable heroine, and a Puccini-inspired murder. Who knew opera could be so deadly?

British expat, Josie Monroe, returns to the idyllic village of Milkwood and finds herself chief suspect in a family murder. Surrounded by cricket greens, duck ponds and lies, Josie must discover the culprit if she wishes to return to the US and Lady Belle DeCorcy is just the pal to help her.

Josie is a down-to-earth, classical music-loving pianist. Belle is a flighty, beautiful and slightly unhinged debutante, making the two amateur sleuths an unlikely and comically inept, team. As if Josie doesn’t have enough problems, she is also dealing with the “Witches of Milkwood,” an elderly trio convinced that Josie is the murderer and that Belle is one sandwich short of a picnic.

Living with a cantankerous cat named Elgar and her aunt’s handsome, but seemingly untrustworthy, lodger, Josie is also coming to terms with resurging feelings for her childhood sweetheart, Detective Inspector Adam Ward. Luckily, tea and tenacity will see her through, even if every time Josie hears Puccini she risks discovering another body.

The Puccini Connection is a cozy English murder mystery with a classical music-loving amateur female sleuth in a picturesque English village with quirky, lovable characters and an extremely grumpy cat.

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About the author
Sam Bond is the best-selling, award-winning author of The Cousins In Action series and The Puccini Connection, the first book in the Milkwood Murder series. Sam was raised in a small village in England before moving to the States twenty-five years ago. When not writing you can find Sam behind the lens of a camera, playing Chopin, or reading one of the many books suggested by the three book clubs she runs. Sam lives in Austin, Texas with her two daughters and a dog named Sausage. Connect with Sam on Social Media: Amazon, Facebook, 5 Cousin Adventures, Sam Bond Facebook author page.

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