A Deathbed of Roses: A Jess O’Malley Mystery

In Ballyfortnum, the Tidy Village contest is causing chaos.

In the close-knit Irish village of Ballyfortnum, it’s judging day for the Tidy Village contest.

Ballyfortnum’s blooming and Jess O’Malley is ready to welcome the judges, but one’s been taken ill and the replacement’s from a rival village. Before Jess and her friends can process this, there’s a bigger mess to clear up. Someone’s vandalised the village!

But at least they don’t have a body on their hands.

Or do they?

One of the gardeners turns up on a bed of roses, but is he the victim or the vandal?

Jess thinks there could be connection between the sick judge and the body in the backyard and she’s determined to find the link. Ballyfortnum’s chance at Best-Kept Village may be slipping away, but is the new judge holding the best-kept secret?

• A sick judge who may be poisoned.
• A replacement judge who may be jealous.
• A victim who may be a villain.
• A village with an All-Ireland Championship at stake.

Not everything in Ballyfortnum is smelling of roses.

Can Jess reveal the culprits and save the village’s chance at the trophy, or will the Tidy Village mess prove too much to clear up?

A Deathbed of Roses is the fourth book of this beautifully-written Irish village cozy mystery series, which depicts enjoyable snapshots of life in a close-knit Irish community. Jinny Alexander brings all the elements of traditional Golden Age mystery stories to a current-day setting. This delightful new series has already been likened to the Richard Osman Thursday Murder Club series, Fiona Leitch’s Cornish Village series, and MC Beaton’s Agatha Raisin series.