Snowbound secrets, shifter wars, family lies, and epic battles — September delivers it all.

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Also by Holly Newman:

Murder Among Apples, June 2026
e-Book
Murder on the Downs, December 2025
Paperback / e-Book
An Artful Decision, November 2024
e-Book
Murder of a Dead Man, June 2024
e-Book
An Artful Secret, November 2023
e-Book
An Artful Lie, April 2023
e-Book
An Artful Compromise, December 2022
e-Book
An Artful Deceit, July 2022
e-Book
Heart of a Tiger, April 2022
Paperback / e-Book
Rarer Than Gold, October 2021
e-Book
The Waylaid Heart, April 2021
e-Book
Honor's Players, April 2021
e-Book

MURDER ON THE DOWNS
By: Holly Newman

Chance Inquiry #5
Oliver-Heber Books
December 2025
On Sale: December 16, 2025
232 pages
ISBN: B0G5JXSSLX
EAN: 9798900430591
Kindle: B0FX5RG72S
Paperback / e-Book
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Mystery Historical | Mystery Amateur Sleuth

Two deaths. One village. Countless secrets buried beneath the Downs.

When tragedy strikes the peaceful village of Mertonhaugh, grief turns swiftly to suspicion. The magistrate's spirited daughter dies suddenly under mysterious circumstances. Days later, the vicar's wife is found at the base of the cliffs-an apparent suicide.

Eager for closure, the magistrate declares the case solved: the vicar's wife administered a fatal potion to his daughter, then took her own life in remorse. But Sir James and Lady Cecilia Branstoke aren't so sure. Behind the polite facades and Sunday smiles, they sense something darker stirring.

As the Branstokes quietly pursue the truth, their inquiries expose old resentments, forbidden liaisons, and the invisible rifts dividing Mertonhaugh's tidy society. Yet the deeper they dig, the more peril creeps toward their doorstep-endangering not only their reputations, but the life of their young son, Hugh.

In a world where appearances deceive and justice wears many faces, the Branstokes must tread carefully... or risk losing everything they hold dear.

Newman's Murder on the Downs delivers the quintessential English village mystery-elegant, atmospheric, and steeped in period charm. Fans of traditional historical mysteries will find themselves utterly engrossed in Mertonhaugh's secrets, where every character has something to hide.