East Devon Cosy Mysteries

Have you ever wanted to move a little further away from the abrasive clamour of the ever intrusive rat race?

Would you still like to stay within shouting distance of such civilised pastimes as theatres, arts and crafts, pubs and restaurants, yet immerse yourself in outdoor activities such as walking, cycling and sea sports?

East Devon may be just what you’ve been looking for.

It was exactly what Frank and Ella Raleigh desired. Taking early retirement from the babbling helter-skelter of modern education, they were anticipating playing their part in a more relaxed village community. Invigorating walks along the Coast Path, informative talks in the village hall, quaint local theatrical productions, cosy long lunches in freshly discovered country pubs. It was going to be the stuff of dreams.

Until someone wrote a badly worded address on a misdirected package…..

Cidered in Sidmouth

“This is Sidmouth, sir. Nobody gets murdered in Sidmouth!”

Newly retired Frank and Ella Raleigh didn’t expect to be confronted with an upturned body in a cider barrel. WPC Knowle called it a tragic accident, Frank and Ella didn’t agree. Guess who was right?

Welcome to East Devon, land of cider, scenery and cream teas.

If you enjoy pacy whodunit cosy mysteries set in our glorious East Devon countryside, then join Frank and Ella in the Regency seaside resort of Sidmouth, as they seek to find who murdered Billy Bowd.

Cidered in Sidmouth brings you coastal walks, cider farms, cliff-top drama and a traditional Golden Age denouement as Frank and Ella solve the clues to a very unusual murder in this quiet old-fashioned seaside town.

A gentle cosy read in the tradition of Midsomer and the two Agathas.

Treasure the walks. Uncover the clues. Solve the mystery.

PA Nash has written a cosy mystery blending murder with scenic local walks and landmarks.

“A very easy read ideal for holiday reading“
“A pleasant and easy read enhanced the lovely description of Sidmouth and the local walks. Good introduction to the characters who run through the series.”

Book One in the East Devon Cosy Mystery series was recently revised and re-edited.

The Dudleys of Budleigh

“Dudley’s out to get me!”

The note sent to Anthony Buckerell read “In the seventh hour of the night on the seventh day of the year you will die.”

At 7.59, surrounded by police in a windowless locked cell, he did.

How? Ask Dudley.

Ella finds herself reluctantly continuing her role as part of this delightful detective duo as they delve into the lives of their suspects – each one named Dudley.

If you enjoy cosy mysteries set in the glorious English countryside, then join Frank and Ella on an easy-to-read discovery of the East Devon seaside town of Budleigh Salterton, as they seek to find the murderer amongst the Dudleys of Budleigh.

Amongst the pages of The Dudleys of Budleigh, you’ll experience coastal walks, exotic plants, kidnapping, a theatrical denouement and a whole lot more as Frank and Ella uncover the less convivial parts of a gentle seaside town.
PA Nash has written another delightful cosy mystery in which a mixture of two Agathas, Christie and Raisin, blend in with scenic local walks and landmarks. Yet again, you’ll be yearning to visit!

Book Two in the East Devon Cosy Mystery series was recently revised and re-edited.

The Ottery Lottery

“The company I’ve built from nothing, Kennaway Coopers… well, I’m giving it away to the winner of the Ottery Lottery!”

Caleb Kennaway’s family and the other board members violently disagreed with his decision. A month later, Caleb Kennaway was found dead at the foot of the main stairs in Kennaway Court.

The third book in the East Devon Cosy Mystery series finds Frank and Ella buying a ticket in the Ottery Lottery. This leads them to an opportunity to investigate Caleb’s death and also a hunt for a miniature beer barrel that will change their lives.

Amongst the pages of The Ottery Lottery, you’ll walk in pixies’ footsteps, stumble into a tumbling weir, and discover granite poetry. Coupled with a plane crash and a Ptolemaic clock, there’s a chance to reconnect with characters from Frank and Ella’s recent past.

If you enjoy cosy mysteries set in the glorious English countryside, then join Frank and Ella on an easy–to–read adventure through the East Devon country town of Ottery St Mary as they seek to unmask the murderer of the man who ran the Ottery Lottery.

PA Nash has written a third delightful cosy mystery in which a mixture of two Agathas, Christie and Raisin, blend in with scenic local walks and landmarks. Once more, you’ll be yearning to visit!

Book Three in the East Devon Cosy Mystery series was recently re-edited.

Corn on the Cobb

Pop backstage into the world of 60’s chart star Cornelius Spooner for a mixture of music, murder and cosy mystery.

Meet Cornelius, his band, the Portobello Crooners and his six wives. During a quiet weekend away at a Country House Hotel near Lyme Regis, Frank and Ella Raleigh find themselves caught up in their deadliest case yet.

Accidents? Murders? Suspects with alibis, motives and opportunities – it’s all there.

A gentle cosy read in the tradition of Midsomer and the two Agathas. Renew old acquaintances in an evolving whodunit set around the glorious East Devon edge of Lyme Regis.

Treasure the walks. Uncover the clues. Solve the mystery.

Book Four in the East Devon Cosy Mystery series.

Return to Sidmouth

In 1963, the Pools Panel predicted an away win for the Posh against the Rams, which had a lasting impact on Sidmouth for over 50 years…

Welcome back to East Devon as Frank and Ella return to the glorious Regency seaside resort of Sidmouth, renewing old acquaintances in an evolving whodunit full of twists and turns and red herrings.

Return to Sidmouth takes you back to the Sixties, travelling overseas to Australia and then arriving back in the present day. Enjoy local walks, cream teas and bygone railways until all is revealed in a traditional Golden Age denouement. Frank and Ella piece together the clues to reach the Ealing Comedy solution to the murders in this quiet old-fashioned seaside town. A gentle cosy read in the tradition of the two Agathas.

Enjoy Book Five in the East Devon Cosy Mystery series.

Branscombe Butter

Welcome to Branscombe, where the butter is excellent, the pubs are competitive, and smuggling is supposed to be a thing of the past.
Martha and Tom Green run Green Pastures, a much-loved goat farm perched above the East Devon coast. Their biggest concern should be a successful open day and keeping their spirited goat, Goethe, out of trouble. Unfortunately, Goethe has other ideas.
After an escape worthy of local legend, he stumbles into a hidden tunnel beneath the village and straight into the middle of something far more serious than mischief. Soon strangers are taking an unsettling interest in Green Pastures’ butter deliveries, tensions are building between the village’s rival pubs, and the Reverend Abner Combs vanishes under deeply suspicious circumstances.
As whispers of smugglers spread through Branscombe, the truth proves far more tangled than anyone expected. With the help of Frank and Ella Raleigh, Martha and Tom must navigate village gossip, false leads, old secrets and modern crime before fear takes hold of the community.
Set against the beautiful East Devon coast, Branscombe Butter is a classic cosy mystery full of charm, gentle humour, memorable characters, village warmth, and a mystery that keeps quietly tightening until the final reveal.

Enjoy Book Six in the East Devon Cosy Mystery series.

Sidmouth Swifts’ Stupendous Season

Sidmouth Swifts had never troubled anybody… until the season everything changed.
Greenway Lane was not the sort of ground where football history was supposed to happen.
It had one small wooden stand, two old railway-carriage dressing rooms, and a pitch that sloped badly enough to confuse visiting teams and delight the locals. Most seasons ended quietly somewhere between hopeful and forgettable.
Then Sid Swift came home.
Once one of the finest forwards in English football, Sid returns to Sidmouth to care for his elderly mother. But instead of settling into retirement, he joins forces with the enigmatic Hungarian doctor István Varga and introduces the club to the radical “Kossuth Method.”
No passengers.
No excuses.
No inferiority.
As the Swifts become fitter, harder, and more disciplined, victories begin to follow. Soon the tiny Devon club finds itself embarking on an extraordinary FA Cup run against bigger, richer, and supposedly better teams.
Told through the eyes of fifteen-year-old Paul Knowles, a lad who spends Saturdays behind the goal at Greenway Lane, Sidmouth Swifts’ Stupendous Season captures the lost world of lower-league football: muddy pitches, rattling trains, crowded terraces, tea-room gossip, and communities bound together by hope.
Funny, heartfelt, nostalgic and richly atmospheric, this is a football novel about much more than football itself.

A Standalone Book NOT in the East Devon Cosy Mystery Series

About

PA Nash and his supportive wife moved to glorious East Devon nearly a decade ago, having taken early retirement from his previous job in South East England. Not quite ready for a life of endless relaxation, PA has since dabbled as a website administrator for the South West Coast Path, an IT office assistant in a local school and a WordPress website designer.

Cidered in Sidmouth was his first cosy mystery book, swiftly followed by The Dudleys of Budleigh, The Ottery Lottery, Corn on the Cobb, Return to Sidmouth and Branscombe Butter

The latest book is Sidmouth Swifts’ Stupendous Season, a football novel about much more than football. “My longest novel and probably, my best!!”

All are available on the kindle and in paperback.

“I’ve read so many cosy mystery novels in the past ten years. Some series like MC Beaton’s Hamish Macbeth and Agatha Raisin were excellent, others not so! I thought I could put together a series based around an area of England. Everyone’s written about the Cotswolds and the Midsomer counties, so I thought it would be best to avoid those areas. We live in a beautiful part of the South West of England. East Devon is full of quaint villages, relaxing towns, peaceful countryside and hidden gems. It’s just waiting for a few juicy murders! The police presence is minimal. The population is not as full of old-aged pensioners as some would have you believe.

Perhaps it’s time to create a rival to Midsomer! I enjoy walking so I’ve made use of the South West Coast Path and other footpaths in my books. Each book will have a selection of walks most reasonably fit people can complete. Some of the walks can be found on the excellent South West Coast Path Association’s website. For the past 7 years I’ve been creating a series of short cosy mysteries based around the towns and villages of East Devon.”

Getting in Touch

Getting in contact with PA Nash is easy.

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This website can be found at www.eastdevoncosymysteries.com

If you want to get in touch then I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. I look forward to hearing from you!

If you’ve enjoyed East Devon Cosy Mysteries, then why not pop over to my other two websites.

Free Colouring Pages (colouring-pages.com/) provides, as the name so obviously states (!), free colouring pages for both children and adults. Devon Puzzles (devonpuzzles.co.uk/) goes behind the scenes of my puzzle books.