Bellbrook's most notorious retiree, Professor Judith Dawson, had traded faculty meetings for freedom and student papers for morning crosswords-a bargain she considered rather splendid. With her faithful spaniel Sherlock as her sole confidant (and occasional alibi), Judith had mastered the art of afternoon tea and twilight strolls. That is, until aged care managers began dropping dead with alarming regularity, each corpse adorned with a suspiciously familiar peony. The coincidence might have been merely unfortunate, had Judith not once staged her own Great Escape from two aged care homes, where she and dear Henry had discovered that "assisted living" meant assistance in separating married couples and suppressing spirited seniors. Now, with whispers of "The Peony Perpetrator" floating through town, Judith finds her carefully cultivated retirement garden sprouting weeds of the past.

Author Gita Appleyard is a lover of all things cozy. Her Spilled Ink Mysteries series blends cozy mystery with a tad of heartwarming romance. Join the residents of Bellbrook in the Dandenong Ranges of Victoria, Australia, as they uncover the secrets of their tight-knit village, and root for the underdogs in a world filled with intrigue.