Geoffrey Start

The Biscuit Barrel Murder

Wispy Fescue runs a detective agency with his colleagues, Strangely Drye and Miss Wanda Cushway. They’ve had a few unlikely successes, but recently there’s been a conspicuous lack of wires looking for their services. If they’re ever to make a name for themselves, they need a high-profile case – and soon.

Wispy’s chance presents itself with the conviction of Miss Josephine Leighton, the prospective parliamentary candidate for Lewisham West, who is found guilty of murdering her fiancé in a preposterous miscarriage of justice. He and his colleagues are tasked with finding crucial evidence to overturn the conviction. Their mission takes them from Norfolk across England and over the Channel, and they take every opportunity to indulge in the local gastronomy on their travels.

With only thirteen days until the sentencing, can Wispy find the real killer and save Josephine from the hangman’s noose?

Geoffrey Start’s early childhood was spent in rural North Norfolk before he moved to South West London. His mother was a domestic science teacher and a great cook, and she encouraged him to understand and appreciate food from an early age. This is Geoffrey’s debut novel, which reflects his sense of humour, a penchant for eccentric characters and a love of good eating.

A Rather Difficult Conundrum

Desperate to emerge from the shadow of his late father, Sir William Fescue – better known as Wispy – sets up his own detective agency in April 1920 along with his friend from the Western Front and fellow gourmand, Strangely, and feisty Oxford graduate and keen entomologist Miss Wanda Cushway.

Flushed with success of their first case in solving the murder of Viscount George Thurmaston, they are plunged headlong into a mission to find Florence, the missing daughter of shipbuilding magnate and ruthless businessman Sir Chester Eastoff.

Ransom notes and gruesome threats are delivered, sparking a race against time which takes Wispy, Strangely and Wanda across England, Scotland, Germany and France in planes, trains, and automobiles. Tracking down a kidnapper is hungry work, though, and they never miss an opportunity to indulge in the local gastronomy.

Will Florence be rescued in time? Will the real culprits be caught and brought to justice? And will Wispy and his agency achieve another success and solve this high-profile case, or was his father right all along?

Geoffrey Start’s early childhood was spent in rural Norfolk before he moved to Southwest London, where he still lives with his family. His mother was a domestic science teacher and a fantastic cook, and from an early age she encouraged him to understand and appreciate food. Unsurprisingly, gastronomy plays an integral part in his writing. His sense of humour and love of eccentric characters shine through in his cosy crime novels.