Malice Aforecourt (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780645421255)

He was an irritating man, but just because she'd argued with him didn't mean she wanted him dead.

Hettie Parke enjoys her position as president of the Parke Croquet Club in the township of Woody Lake. She's looking forward to hitting a few balls this sunny Saturday morning. That is, until her damaged mallet is found beside the body of the Bowls Club president on her croquet court.

Hettie is devastated at the loss of her mallet. No so much the loss of Craig Lewis. But with her mallet front and centre as the murder weapon she quickly decides she'd better uncover some other likely suspects, because apart from saving herself from a prison sentence, dragging the Parke name into a murder investigation is doing nothing for her fractured relationship with her mother.

Suspects, she soon discovers, are thick on the ground but so are their alibis. And a certain detective is not impressed with her interference. That's when she discovers an unlikely ally in that cat Ceefer. He seems helpful but can he be trusted? Or is he just angling to have a certain blue-eyed Persian join their household?

Everyone, it seems, has an agenda, but just who was it who set her up for murder? Can she reveal their identity before her hoop-running days are over?