Reviews
MURDER BY MISTAKE
11th in the Ellie Quicke series.
Publishers Weekly, 14th June 2010
'Heley’s entertaining 11th mystery to feature the stubborn amateur sleuth... Ellie injects this high-octane cozy with endearing humor and enduring style. Adding to the fun is Ellie’s impulse to pray for help from higher powers at critical moments.'
FALSE PRETENCES
4th in the Abbot Agency series.
Publishers Weekly, 1st February 2010
'Heley's cast of intriguing characters from every walk of life will please British cozy fans'.
MURDER IN HOUSE
10th in the Ellie Quicke series.
Publishers Weekly, 6th July 2009
'More strong-coffee crime than weak-tea cozy, Heley’s unflinching take on just how low unscrupulous businessmen may go during recessionary times is an eye-opener.'
FALSE STEP
3rd in the Abbot Agency series.
Kirkus Reviews, 9th January 2009
'Clever clueing and a shocking solution place what would otherwise have been a routine cozy above the competition.'
Publishers Weekly, 26th January 2009
In Heley’s charming third mystery to feature Bea Abbot (after 2008’s False Picture), the genteel London detective must deal with office renovations and investigate a mysterious death. A cleaning woman finds the body of her mild-mannered employer, Matthew Kent, in a red dress with a suicide note on his nightstand. When Kent’s daughter asks Bea to do an inventory of her father’s Kensington house, Bea uncovers evidence that suggests Kent was murdered. Later, to add to Bea’s problems, she receives a phone call from her son, a member of Parliament, who has had a disagreement with his wife and wants to live and work in her home. Leaving the running of her business in the hands of her capable staff, who include two likable teenage assistants, Bea sets out to discover the truth. Careful sleuthing leads to a surprising finale.
Booklist, 15th Feb 2009
readers will be well rewarded with this wacky, fast-paced and even rather charming mystery.
Library Journal, 1st March 2009
... Heley, one of the most engaging British mystery writers today, strings Bea along until she springs some surprises on unsuspecting readers. Think Agatha Christie meets Mary Roberts Rinehart in modern London. For most collections.
MURDER IN THE PARK
9th in the Ellie Quicke series.
Kirkus Reviews 15th December 2007
‘Ellie Quicke becomes involved in a hunt for answers when her cousin Roy’s wife witnesses a killing by a dog in a local park…even though Heley once more reveals the perpetrator early on, Ellie is such a complex and likable heroine that we follow her exploits with bated breath.’
FALSE CHARITY
1st in the Abbot Agency series
Library Journal, 1st October 2007
‘In the capable hands of Heley Bea overcomes all obstacles and finds that life, while challenging, can be good. The first Abbot Agency mystery is a winner that will appeal to fans of British cosies.’
Publisher’s Weekly
‘An ingenious series debut…the cast of outrageous characters compliments a complex mystery.’
Kirkus reviews, 1st September 2007
‘The creator of Ellie Quicke rolls out a new series featuring the Abbot Agency, which handles domestic crises with efficiency and discretion…. Although the two heroines are cut from similar cloth, Heley’s new series has a quirky vibe that edges it…’