Okay, so here’s the question – should I stay, or should I go? On the one hand, me, Maddie McGuire, from Tempe, Arizona, landed an international internship at the Roman Baths in Bath, England. And I’m only nineteen! I would be crazy to pass up the opportunity.

But on the other hand, I found an ear. A human ear. On my doorstep.

It probably doesn’t have anything to do with me, but ewww. It’s a hard thing to ignore.

But my first view of Bath was something out of a fairytale, and I’m not sure if I’m willing to give up on the city.

The route to the city center took me to a steep sidewalk that snaked around a park full of beech trees and peonies. Flights of stairs led to an opening marked “Subway.”

I didn’t find any mention of an underground rail system in my research on Bath. But I discovered that England English isn’t the same as American English, so I ventured in. The subway turned out to be a well-lit tunnel that curved under the main road. Murals of city parks decorated with deer and rabbits welcomed me.

Emerging, I crossed the river, only a couple of blocks from the Roman Baths. I turned onto a square decorated with stone benches and carved statues standing on a patchwork of cobblestone. The Roman Baths formed one side of the square and the Bath Abbey another, its intricate edifice beckoning weary travelers. Jet lag and indecision muddled my mind, and I didn’t know which amazing destination to experience first.

Eavesdropping on a passing tour guide, I heard him suggest, “If you find yourself famished, Sally Lunn’s is around the other side of the square.”

I didn’t have a clue what Sally Lunn’s was, but once he said “famished,” I suddenly was. Wandering through the square and along a narrow street, I came to a beautiful robin’s egg blue storefront that housed a little tea shop. A plaque underneath the window announced it was one of the oldest buildings in Bath.

I entered, plopped down at a wooden table, and combed through the food selections. My stomach growled its approval.

“What can I get for you?” A server appeared from nowhere, notepad in hand.

“A pot of Earl Grey hot tea and a scone, please.” I threw caution to the wind and added, “With clotted cream.”

Everything arrived on white porcelain decorated with blue designs. Pouring the tea, I delighted in the citrusy aroma. The splash of milk blossomed in intricate patterns as it colored the beverage. All in all, I felt like a pro at this whole tea tradition. After all, in Arizona, it never occurred to me to order it hot.

The clotted cream wasn’t very creamy but more, well, clotted. After poking at it, I sampled a clump on my scone. My nose wrinkled as I tried to figure out what it tasted like.

“Anything else, then?” the server asked.

I jumped at being caught making a face. “What?”

“Our Sally Lunn bunns are a national treasure,” she dutifully informed me, sounding bored.

“May I have one to go?”

“You can get a box of nine Bunnies if you like, love.”

Love. She called me “love.” Like I was in a movie.

“Yes, please.”

It was important for me to remember that in England, everyone had an English accent, so I couldn’t automatically agree with everything anyone suggested to me.

My server returned with a very large pink box tied in a string. Peeking inside, I saw that each bunn was the size of a small cabbage.

“If you’re at a hotel, we can send them ahead for you,” my server offered.

Shaking my head, I told her, “I’m staying in Ash Tree Cottage on Greenway Lane,” I loved the name of the house where I would be spending the semester. So picturesque!

The cardboard box of bunns in hand, I retraced my steps home.

Opening the white-washed gate, I remembered that I left Roddy, the black and white rabbit, out in the garden. I leaped over the little fence bordering his grassy enclosure to check on him.

“Roddy?”

He hopped to see me, sniffing the package.

“Rabbits don’t like bread, do they?” I wondered.

He answered by nibbling the corner of the box.

Laughing, I moved it out of his reach. “No. Rabbits like cardboard.” Another hop toward the box. With a fond smile, I told him, “Let’s put you back into your hutch.”

Little did I know that he’d be munching through a different box the next day. One with a human ear.

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Death Takes a Bath, A Cotswold Crime Mystery #1
Genre: Traditional
Release: December 2022
Purchase link

In this series debut, a college sophomore discovers a severed human ear on her doorstep while on an international internship in England. She must solve its meaning before she becomes the next victim or, worse, gets deported.

When Maddie McGuire gets an archeology internship at the Roman Baths in England, she assumes everything will go her way. After all, it always has. But her first week turns from a princess fairytale into a nightmare when a human ear lands on her doorstep. The only bonus of the ordeal is meeting young constable Edward Bailey. Their budding friendship is a source of comfort, except when rules get in the way.

Throwing her attention into her internship, she vows to forget anything ear related. The Roman Baths are the perfect escape, except for her aristocratic coworker Simon Pacock who sabotages her every move. And he only becomes more aggressive when she discovers a dead body at the Baths, both ears intact.

As the danger ratchets higher, Maddie must use her wits and knowledge to come out of this ordeal alive.

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Meet the author
Sharon Lynn was raised in Arizona, but it was living in England as a teenager, and every return trip since that inspired the setting of her first novel, Death Takes a Bath (2022). As a professor of theater, film, and writing, she coaches and mentors aspiring artists. Her short stories can be found in anthologies from Malice Domestic and Desert Sleuths. She is a member of the Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, Blackbird Writers, and the Author’s Guild. Please sign up for quarterly news updates at sharonlwrites.com.

All comments are welcomed.