As Christmas approaches, Nathalie embraces the wintry charm of the picturesque village of Earlsraven. However, her plans for her first Christmas as the Black Feather's owner didn't include the huge snowman that appears in the car park. The frosty figure adds to the festive ambiance of the pub's decorations so she decides he can stay. But despite the warmth and welcome at Earlsraven's favourite inn, there's a chilling mystery for Nathalie and her cook Louise to solve, as the snowman's appearance heralds nothing but trouble.

About the series: There was nothing in the will about this ...

Cottages, English roses and rolling hills: that's Earlsraven. In the middle of it all: the "Black Feather". Not only does young Nathalie Ames unexpectedly inherit this cosy inn from her aunt, she also falls heir to her aunt's secret double life! She solved criminal cases together with her cook Louise, a former agent of the British Crown. And while Nathalie is still trying to warm up to the quirky villagers, she discovers that sleuthing runs in the family.

Ellen Barksdale was born in the English seaside resort of Brighton. From childhood she was a bookworm, and from a young age was interested in crime novels. Her first experience of crime fiction was with the Maigret novels by Georges Simenon. After years of reading crime fiction, she recently decided to take up writing herself. "Tea? Coffee? Murder!" is her first mystery series.