Book excerpt: MURDER IN MARTINDALE is book nine in Marilyn Clay's popular JULIETTE ABBOTT REGENCY MYSTERY SERIES. When clever young sleuth Miss Juliette Abbott is invited to spend a fortnight at Martindale Manor as companion to a young blind girl whose father has suddenly passed away, she believes she has been offered the perfect respite from murder and mayhem in the tiny hamlet of Martindale in England's far-away North Country. Told that the girl’s brother and heir, Sir James Martindale, is even now on his way home, Miss Abbott and her trusted maid Tilda set out in high spirits for their four-day journey north. However, upon arriving in Cumbria, Juliette is shocked to learn that the murders have already begun! Miss Martindale’s father did not simply pass away; the man was viciously murdered! What’s worse, Juliette soon begins to suspect that the late Sir Robert’s killer, the very man who arrived at Martindale Manor proclaiming to be the long lost heir is not the person he claims to be! Readers will identify the villain at once . . . but the questions swirling around the hated man’s actions remain hidden from view until Miss Abbott bravely takes on the task of ferreting out the reasons why the stranger seems intent upon doing away with any and everyone who dares dispute his claim as heir. Poor blind Miss Martindale is of no help, so it falls to our clever sleuth Miss Abbott to keep Miss Martindale’s presence a secret from the man claiming to be her brother. Even as the dead bodies pile up, Juliette learns that her name now sits at the top of the ruthless killer’s list! Although she summons help, she wonders if her trusted friend Mr. Sheridan will arrive in time to save them all from the killer’s trap? “A tension-filled page turner! This strong plot will keep readers glued to their chairs in order to see how the pieces of the puzzle fit together.” –Red River Reviews “I sat up late reading this book because I simply could not put it down! Highly recommended!”– P. C. Five Star Mysteries. "A highly entertaining British mystery series with skillful plots, quirky characters and clever dialogue." – A. Halston. All nine titles in Marilyn Clay's JULIETTE ABBOTT REGENCY MYSTERY SERIES are available from most online booksellers in both print and Ebook. Each story can be read as a stand-alone, but to begin with the first book in the series is recommended. Previous titles in the JULIETTE ABBOTT REGENCY MYSTERY SERIES include (in order) MURDER AT MORLAND MANOR, MURDER IN MAYFAIR, MURDER IN MARGATE, MURDER AT MEDLEY PARK, MURDER IN MIDDLEWYCH, MURDER IN MAIDSTSONE, MURDER AT MONTFORD HALL, MURDER ON MARSH LANE and now MURDER IN MARTINDALE. Look for Book 10 in the series, MURDER AT MARLEY CHASE, coming in late 2022. All of author Marilyn Clay's Juliette Abbott Regency Mysteries are clean, wholesome and suitable for teen readers. None of Marilyn Clay's Regency or historical suspense novels contain violent murder scenes, offensive language, or explicit situations. You will also enjoy Marilyn Clay's award-winning Colonial Jamestown Historical Suspense Novels, DECEPTIONS (originally released in hardcover and reprinted in Ebook as DANGEROUS DECEPTIONS); SECRETS & LIES (originally released in hardcover and reprinted in Ebook as DANGEROUS SECRETS, and A PETTICOAT AND LAMBSKIN GLOVES), and BETSY ROSS: ACCIDENTAL SPY, available from Amazon in print and from most online ebook retailers in Ebook format. Respected REGENCY period historian Marilyn Clay has authored over two-dozen books, many translated to foreign languages and all available worldwide.