Category: You Read How Many Books Challenge

A Maypole of Deceit: A British Cozy Murder Mystery
(A Cotswold Antique Mystery)
by Victoria Tait

I am delighted to welcome Victoria to Escape With Dollycas today!

Hi Victoria,

Please tell us a little bit about yourself.

I grew up in Yorkshire, in the north of England, and after many years away, I’ve returned. I still like to travel through the colder winter months to seek sunshine and inspiration abroad. Over the past few years, I’ve visited many wonderful places, including the Azores, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Morocco, and Malta, and I’ve set stories in several of them.

My first career was in property development. After I married and accompanied my military husband to Africa, I set up and ran a cafe and then a farm shop in Kenya. I drew on that experience when writing my Waterwheel Cafe Mystery series, where my character Keya Varma fulfils her dream of opening her own cafe in the Cotswolds.

I discovered writing during a significant period of personal change. I struggled through the last years of my marriage, which I could only leave once I started to earn a small living from my books.

I spent time rebuilding my mental health and my life, and rediscovering what brought me joy. Writing is a large part of that. I love sharing my stories and the characters, locations, and themes in them with my readers. I’m now working hard to make a living from it to support myself and my two boys.

What are three things most people don’t know about you?

I grew up in a family with strong connections to horses and racing. My mother was a highly accomplished equestrian, and although I never matched her achievements, I competed regularly from a young age and even rode as an amateur jockey. I don’t ride as much now, but I’d love to include riding holidays in my future travel plans.

On the writing front, even though I’m not always aware of it at the time, most of my stories and themes stem from personal experience. I’ve used writing as a way to process the more challenging aspects of my life.

At the start of the Dotty Sayers Antique Mystery series, Dotty is living within the constraints of military life, as I was when I wrote the books. She works hard to find her confidence and independence, as I have done. In my more recent Treasured Journey Mystery series, my amateur sleuth Georgina Carey follows the geographical journey I took after leaving my husband. We both start in the Azores and then visit Morocco, Malta, and Tenerife. Many of the internal struggles she faces are ones I have also dealt with.

The theme of antiques runs through my books. I am an enthusiast rather than an expert. My interest started after I had to sell most of our possessions and furniture when we left Kenya. Back in the UK, with a large military house to fill, I began visiting local auction houses in the Cotswolds. As well as finding some terrific bargains I met and interacted with fascinating people, many of whom became the basis for characters in my stories.

What books/authors have most inspired you?

Even at a young age, I shunned classics like Black Beauty and Treasure Island, preferring the puzzle and intrigue of a great Agatha Christie novel.

As a teenager, Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier had a profound effect on me, and I also became engrossed in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.

More recently, I’ve enjoyed mystery and crime, especially books with a strong sense of place. Having lived in Edinburgh, Ian Rankin’s Inspector Rebus novels are a particular favourite.

I was late discovering Dorothy L. Sayers and it was her personal story which first drew me in. Her husband’s health had been seriously damaged by his World War I service, and he was eventually unable to work. She supported them both through her writing. I find that both admirable and entirely relatable.

I also came to understand the real intelligence concealed behind Lord Peter Wimsey’s apparently carefree exterior, and the strength and independence of Harriet Vane. And I love her character Miss Climpson, a sharp, capable, middle-aged single woman who is consistently underestimated by the society around her in the 1920s and 1930s.

As a nod to this great crime writer, my character Dotty Sayers is named after her. So is Dr Peter Wimsey, who also conceals his intelligence behind an easygoing manner in the earlier books. And Norman Climpson takes his surname from Miss Climpson because I feel that older men are one of the more overlooked sections of our society today.

I hope I have done this great writer justice with my own books.

What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?

I often start with the location of my story, and I need to not only see the place I’m writing about but be totally absorbed by it. Only when I return home from visiting a place can I work out the underlying feeling and theme for my book. For instance, with the Azores, it was an island way of life which was both self-sufficient and insular from the wider world. For Morocco it was the customs and belief in spirits, and the colour, noise, and smell of the souks. Both of these are locations in my Treasured Journey Mystery series.

In the Cotswolds, I probably portray a view of life that I’d like to be true and that I and my readers can escape to, rather than one that actually exists. It’s the sense of community and people helping each other, of peaceful honey-coloured villages with local activities and events, and the belief that justice is served and people get what they deserve.

So I suppose my answer is that I don’t necessarily spend long researching each book, but I am constantly gathering information. It may be something as simple as a line a customer says in the queue at the supermarket, or an observation a friend makes over coffee, or the strange outfit of a passenger on a train. All of it adds to the rich tapestry of my books.

As you may have gathered, character and place come first in my stories. Plots I have to work a little harder on, but ideas come from other books, television programmes and real-life events.

In A Maypole of Deceit, the premise centres on a fraud conducted by a solicitor. I listened to a true crime podcast while decorating my cottage last summer and was so appalled that vulnerable members of our society are still not protected from unscrupulous people that I had to dish out my own justice in this book. You’ll understand more when you read it.

Do you ever suffer from Writer’s Block?

Sometimes, but it’s more like writer’s pause. When I start writing, I’ve already worked out the crime, the suspects, the victim, and usually the perpetrator. How and why are usually developed as I write.

The hardest part is engineering the situation so my sleuths solve the mystery. The clues, the direction of the investigation and the red herrings all have to work together and feel fair to the reader. The reveal can’t happen too quickly, but equally they do have to step out of their daily routines and actually start investigating. Sometimes they are not as interested in doing this as I’d like them to be.

Occasionally, I am really stuck and unable to move forward, and I have to reread the manuscript before I can continue. The book I have just completed, Treasures and Treachery in Tenerife, was a real struggle. I don’t know why, as I loved the place I was writing about and I was happy with the characters, but the story did not flow through my fingers onto the keyboard.

But I expect the next book will be a totally different experience.

When you are not writing, what do you like to do?

I write in the mornings and run the publishing side of my business in the afternoons. I have reintroduced exercise into my morning routine as I know how important it is to move, especially for writers as we sit at our keyboards all day.

I also try to make time for experiences. My mum and I plan visits to country houses and gardens. My oldest son likes walking. I’ll join him for shorter ones or to somewhere interesting, like our recent daffodil walk in the North Yorkshire Moors.

My youngest son is a keen sportsman, so I like to support him at matches, and I also drive him around the country for academy rugby training and fixtures.

Most importantly, I’m learning to live in the moment. It is often the smaller things, like the arrival of the first swallows this week, which bring the greatest joy.

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?

There are so many places in the world I’d like to visit, and I am slowly working my way through them. I enjoy slow travel and being immersed in the culture and life of a place, rather than just being shown the tourist sites.

I currently have planned a month’s writing retreat in Costa Rica in November and a trip next spring to Vietnam with my youngest son. And after that, who knows.

What is next on the horizon for you?

I’m returning to the Cotswolds to write this year’s Christmas book. It’s always a little strange writing about winter and the festive season in summer, but after the struggles of the last book, I want to take my time with this one. I also want to concentrate more on my characters’ families. It will take me a while to remember and bring together what has happened in previous books and decide how the characters will interact and where they are going next. And of course, I have to plot a murder and an investigation. I’m not sure what that will be yet.

I am also helping organise a writing retreat at a monastery in Yorkshire. It is great fun and set in amazing grounds. They usually host religious retreats so we were surprised to be allowed back, but I think they liked the novelty of a group of mystery writers discussing how to kill people and where to hide the bodies.

Thank you, Victoria, for visiting today!

Keep reading to find out more about Victoria and A Maypole of Deceit.

About A Maypole of Deceit

A Maypole of Deceit: A British Cozy Murder Mystery (A Cotswold Antique Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
5th in Series
Setting – Cotswold, England
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Kanga Press
Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 8, 2026
Number of Pages c. 300
Digital
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1917168779
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0G11QSWR6

Spring has arrived in the Cotswolds, and bunting flutters above the village green as Coln Akeman prepares for its annual May Day celebrations.

Antiques expert, Dotty Sayers, is busy at the auction house, and her friend, Keya Varma is run off her feet at her café. But when an elderly woman goes missing and a man’s body is found among the festivities, the joyful occasion takes a darker turn.

With clues as tangled as the ribbons on the Maypole, Dotty and her friends must work together to untie a knot of lies before mistrust tears their close-knit community apart.

A Maypole of Deceit, the next charming cozy mystery in Victoria Tait’s Cotswold Antique Mystery series, is a heart-warming tale of friendship, courage, and truth set in the heart of the British countryside. Perfect for readers who enjoy traditional whodunnits filled with village life, vintage treasures, and a dash of British humour.

Celebrate spring and uncover the truth with A Maypole of Deceit today!

Dollycas’s Thoughts 

Spring has sprung in the Cotswolds, and it’s time for the annual May Day celebration. Everyone gathers together to get the village green set up for all the events.

May Day arrives, but there is something wrong with the maypole. The ribbons are loose, and an arm is visible as part of a bulge at the bottom of the pole. The holiday has taken a definite turn. It takes some fast organization to move as much of the festival as possible to Akemans, as the green is now a crime scene. Dotty, Keya, Sujin, Inspector Lynn Lockwood, and others start untangling the evidence and twisting together clues to try to solve the case and also find an elderly woman who has gone missing.

Opening books written by Victoria Tait are like checking in with old friends. Dotty and Keya are my favorites. Both have grown so much, and we don’t hear Keya exclaim “toda” as many times as we used to. They have wonderful men in their lives and are surrounded by a fantastic group of friends who are more like family. They all pull together to help wherever needed and are working hard to keep Akemans evolving with the times, the cafe profitable, and the community vital. Dotty and Zach are house hunting, Aunt Beanie has been convinced to sell her farm, and Keya and Sujin are settling into married life. I expected more of a fuss about Keya and Sujin getting married in Sri Lanka, but they are so happy, and that’s what counts.

The victim was a real scoundrel, making for a long list of suspects. He took advantage of vulnerable people and finally got his comeuppance. The method of murder was unique, but the motive comes from an issue that happens worldwide. It brought Sergeant Nathaniel Griggs to the area, who knew the pattern and the scope of what was happening, but it still wasn’t easy to pin down the killer. I always have a great time, following the clues along with these characters. The different viewpoints can make things very interesting.

A well-plotted, well-written, fast-paced, cozy mystery, with captivating characters, set in a charming locale,  A Maypole of Deceit, is another Perfect Escape from Victoria Tait. I knew what was coming on the final page, and I am very excited about what’s ahead for everyone. The teaser tells us the next book will be about Christmas in the Cotswolds, and I can’t wait!

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you to the author for providing me with an ARC.

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More About Victoria Tait

Victoria Tait was born and raised in Yorkshire, England, where she discovered a passion for mystery fiction and storytelling. Inspired by the works of Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Midsomer Murders, she writes British cozy mysteries infused with her signature British charm.

Her determined and hard-working female sleuths are joined by colourful but realistic teams of helpers, and her settings are vivid and evocative. With intrigue, surprises, and gentle humour, Victoria’s page-turning stories offer engaging whodunits, best enjoyed with a cup of tea and a slice of cake.

Victoria’s books avoid graphic content and profanity, focusing on character, logic, and the steady work of uncovering truth.

Victoria has recently been exploring the world, drawing inspiration for her books from remarkable places including the Azores, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Morocco, and Malta.

Read the FREE prequel to her Dotty Sayers Antique Mystery series at her website.

You can find Victoria at VictoriaTait.com 

Author Links
Website  BookBub  Facebook  Instagram    Goodreads  Pinterest

Purchase Links –

Amazon

Find all of Victoria Tait’s books HERE.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” “As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.” I am also an affiliate of Bookshop.org, and I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.” These funds are often used for gift cards and other giveaways.