Good day to you!

 I’m Veronica Vale, and am adjusting to life following the Great War, doing more than my role as a telephone exchange operator suggests. But that’s a story for another time!

1920s London is a fascinating place. Everyone is full of hope and joy, enterprise is everywhere, and there’s a buzz to this great city that has been missing for years. But there are still a few trials we all must endure.

 I’m a born and bred London girl who enjoys a simple life involving long walks with my rescue dog, Benji, and attending parties with my best friend, Ruby Smythe. But I somehow find myself embroiled in the most mysterious of cases.

 It’s partly due to my job as an obituary writer for my uncle’s newspaper, the London Times. I often find myself around the recently deceased, and sometimes, they didn’t go quietly into the good night. Some were given a bullet in the gut, a whack over the head, or shoved down a set of stone steps.

 And that won’t do! One thing I’m not afraid of is ensuring justice is done. Often to the frustration of the local police, and in particular, my sometimes nemesis, Inspector Jacob Templeton. He’s as handsome as he is stubborn, but I won’t let him stop me from ensuring wrongs are righted.

 My home in an up-and-coming part of London is rarely quiet. I live with my ailing mother, Edith Vale, and my voluntarily housebound younger brother, Matthew. I tried to convince them to move to somewhere smaller and more practical, but they won’t hear of it. And to be honest, I don’t want to leave the place, even though it costs a small fortune to heat. We use the extra rooms to take in foster animals. There are many abandoned or lost animals looking for homes following the Great War. People who lost everything or were bombed out were unable to look after their precious animals, so I stepped in. I’m happy to say it’s a passion of mine.

 Between my work at the newspaper, busy social life thanks to Ruby, keeping an eye on my eccentric family, my volunteer work at the dogs’ home, and my sleuthing activities, I rarely have a moment’s peace. But I wouldn’t have it any other way.

 If you wish to step back in time and enjoy the delights of postwar London, explore the surprises and mysteries hiding behind some of the grandest front doors, and help me ensure the police know what they’re doing, then you’d be most welcome to join me in my latest adventure.

 Now, I must fly. I’m treating Ruby to an afternoon tea at the Ritz!

 

Yours truly,

 Veronica Vale

 

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To find out more about Veronica’s adventures, enjoy a copy of Death at the Fireside Inn, book one in the Veronica Vales Investigates historical British mystery series.