Hi. I’m Rick Chasen. Normally my day starts with coffee, a pass through the New York Times crossword puzzle, and a walk in the neighborhood around my home in Temecula, in Southern California.
But today is different. This morning’s walk could be the hardest I’ve ever taken. It’s a step into the unknown.
I’ve just left the small bed-and-breakfast in Barnstaple, England where I spent the night. I’m heading toward the town train station, where I’ll meet up with the walking group with whom I’ll be spending the next week on the north coast of Devon.
I’ll be with other people, and I’m terrified. It’s been almost a year since Doug, my partner of twenty years, passed away, and socializing has been a struggle ever since. Before I retired from the San Diego Police, I’d led a full and active life, but in the past year I’ve spent too much time alone. When my dear friend Billie suggested a walking tour in Devon, my initial urge was to decline, but she would have none of it.
“Where’s the Chase I used to know?” she said. “He would leap at the chance to take a long walk in England, and enjoy a pint of ale in a pub afterward!”
She was right. England is my favorite place—its history and culture are irresistible –and I’ll be engaging in my favorite activity, walking. What could go wrong?
Well, things go wrong right away. Dragging my suitcase, I walk in what I believe is the right direction, toward a roundabout across the River Taw near the station. But somewhere I take a wrong turn and find myself not on the main road but in a small mews lane lined by flats converted from old stables, small garden plots outside their doors, with flowers struggling to bloom in the pale Devon daylight.
I retrace my steps but it doesn’t seem to help. Where am I? I’d studied the online map carefully so I wouldn’t get lost. I start walking furiously, turning left and right, searching for some sign I’m going the right way. Is that the train station ahead? I step into the crosswalk.
“Chase, watch out!”
I leap back onto the pavement as a red Vauxhall sedan races past, missing me by inches.
Snapped out of my daze, I see Billie rush toward me and give me a quick, warm hug. “Honestly, Chase! Why can’t you learn how they drive over here? They even have ‘look right’ and ‘look left’ written on the street!”
I returned her hug with a rush of relief. The day’s journey hadn’t started well, and it could only get better from here.
A Deadly Walk in Devon, Walk Through England Mystery Book #1
Genre: Traditional Mystery
Release: March 2024
Format: Print, Digital
Purchase Link
For fans of M.C. Beaton, Martha Grimes, and Alexander McCall Smith, the first in a charming new mystery series set in the English countryside, as a retired San Diego police detective embarks upon group walking tours in England’s most scenic counties…
After a long career as a detective in San Diego, Rick “Chase” Chasen has traded in his badge for a change of scenery in the coastal comforts of Devon, England, until a local murder takes him on a deadly detour . . .
Still grieving the death of his long-time partner, Chase reunites with his dear friend and fellow Anglophile Billie Mondreau for a seacoast holiday of historic sightseeing. Assigned a pair of guides from the tour company Wanderers, Chase and Billie join seven other like-minded Americans looking forward to an English getaway. All except for Ronald Gretz. The wealthy entrepreneur behind the international Golden Sunset nursing home chain doesn’t like anything about walking, touring, or England. Coarse and opinionated, Gretz’s complaints get on the nerves of his fellow Wanderers—and his long-suffering trophy wife.
But Gretz’s gripes are tied to his own nerves being frayed. He has been receiving threatening texts and emails signed “An Avenger.” Convinced someone means him harm, Gretz asks Chase to watch his back. Soon, Gretz falls afoul of several “accidents,” leading to more friction with the other walkers. Until one final “accident” results in Gretz dead at the bottom of a cliff.
Chase, whose investigative instincts remain sharp, knows Gretz’s death was no accident. While helping the police investigate, he discovers that members of the tour group not only disliked the victim but had legitimate motives for wanting him dead. Now, he just has to uncover who among them is willing to kill . . .
Meet the author
Nicholas George worked as a newspaper reporter before embarking on an extensive career in public relations and communication management. His love of long-distance walking in the U.S. and England prompted him to create his Walk Through England series of mystery novels, set on group walks in the English countryside. Nick co-wrote the feature film “Perfect Match,” prominently featured at the Chicago and Montreal film festivals. He lives in Pasadena, California, with his husband Bert.