Kent - Broken Dove: The St. Ives murders - a riveting crime thriller with a truly shocking ending. (DI Treloar Cornish Crime Thrillers Book 2)

Summer is a-coming in
Loudly sing cuckoo
Groweth seed and bloweth mead
and springs the wood anew
Sing cuckoo!

Detective Sergeant Samantha Scott of Devon & Cornwall Police sang along with the car radio as she navigated the narrow lanes on a glorious afternoon. She smiled as she remembered the song from school. It was 1 st of May, an early summers day full of promise, she was in love, and all was right with the world.

She had left her home in Truro, Cornwall and travelled west down the A30 turning off towards Lelant then bearing left up Mill Hill, passing through dappled woodland to join the B3311 which runs between St Ives on the north coast and Penzance on the south. Here she turned left towards Cripplesease and Nancledra. As she crested a hill she indicated right and turned onto a narrow lane with passing places where a newly erected sign on the grass verge read Lower Farm Holiday Cottages and Camping, and beside it an older brick and slate sign read Lost Farm Farm Shop. After 50 yards a whitewashed farmhouse with roses around the trellised entrance appeared on her left with an old sign on its wall Lower Farm. Outside the gate, draped along the hedge, was a hand-painted banner reading For cottages and camping pitches apply at Farm Shop - 50 yards on your right, and indeed shortly she passed a purpose built rustic building with a gravelled car park where a small refrigerated truck sporting Roskillys dairys distinctive playful livery was reversing. She was looking forward to the evening.

After another couple of minutes she passed a rough track leading uphill to her right with a worn sign indicating Lost Farm and Higher Farm but she continued on. She opened the front windows of the car to a dusty airflow with the slight scent of cow manure and a stronger vegetal smell. An urban girl born and bred, she quickly closed them again, laughing. Finally she came to a gap in the hedgerow where a brightly coloured garland of paper flowers was strung across the opening: Lost Farm Barn, home to her boss, the object of her secret affections, Detective Inspector Flipe Treloar, and today the venue for the annual May Day Treloar family party.

Samantha Scott was on a fast track with Devon & Cornwall Police having joined from Bristol University where she had attained a 2:1 in History. This had earned her the nickname Samba Sam B. A. - with some of her colleagues which she took in good spirit. Sam worked on major crimes in a small team led by Treloar which included D S Colin Matthews and a new member, D C Luke Callaway. She was expecting to see them at the party that evening.

Sam turned in under the garland and drove onto a field where a large number of cars were already parked. She pulled up alongside a beautiful old golden Mercedes and climbed out of her Brilliant Red VW Beetle. The boot of the Mercedes was open and a portly balding man with a bushy grey beard was rooting about inside muttering to himself.

Hi Doc, Sam called out pulling two bottles of wine from the rear seat. Sam was a good looking tall woman with a shapely athletic build from regular visits to the gym, thick dark blonde hair and bright turquoise eyes.

Good afternoon my dear, replied Dr. Anthony Tremayne, police doctor and Treloar family friend, somewhere in here Molly has secreted a bumper box of my cheese and pea pasties, but I cant for the life of me ah, yes here they are.