A Mystery in St Ives

by Deborah Fowler

Published 22 May 2025
In May 2013, St Ives farmer Philip goes missing on his way to meet a friend at Halsetown Inn. On the tenth anniversary of his disappearance and frustrated by a bungled police investigation, his grieving widow Betty commits suicide, leaving a note for her now-orphaned children Tom and Gemma.
Reuniting at Betty's funeral, their children's anger at the failed investigation reaches breaking point. Using their family connections, Gemma's brother-in-law Merrin convinces Inspector Louis Peppiatt to reopen the cold case.
In an investigation that spans decades, unearths family secrets and uncovers emotional betrayals, St Ives' police work to solve a case that has remained a mystery for ten years. Philip's disappearance has triggered a series of events that threaten to expose the inner lives of a seemingly peaceful rural town, teaching its residents that no one can be trusted.